Roshan Abraham and Steve Gorman

(Reuters) – The US coronavirus epidemic reached a new grim milestone on Friday. According to data from Reuters, the cumulative death toll of COVID-19 in America has surpassed 900,000. However, the number of deaths per day is beginning to fall.

This latest count shows an increase in deaths from COVID-19 since December 12, with more than 100,000 U.S. victims. It also coincides with an increase in hospitalizations and infections caused by Omicron, a highly contagious variant of the virus.

Although Omicron is more contagious than Delta, it causes less severe illnesses in general, according to preliminary evidence. However, Omicron’s sheer number of cases has led to an increase in hospitalizations which have strained the U.S. healthcare system to its limits over recent weeks.

Experts believe that Omicron patients needing hospitalization are mainly unvaccinated people and those with chronic diseases.

Omicron could also have hit America harder than countries that have younger populations like Africa, according to data.

According to Reuters, Friday’s running tally from state-reported data shows that the number of American deaths due to COVID-19 has reached 904,067 as of Friday. This is more than South Dakota’s entire population.

The highest COVID-19 death toll by any country is at this tally. India, Brazil and Russia have combined more than 1.5 million. America ranks 20th among countries with the highest number of deaths from coronavirus per capita. It is well below Russia and Peru.

Reuters figures indicate that the U.S. COVID-19 deaths rate is slowing down as Omicron surge decreases. For the second consecutive day, the average seven-day death rate fell to 2,592, down from 2,674 at its peak during the current wave. Comparatively, in the Delta wave of January 2021 there were an average 3,300 deaths per day.

According to some public health officials, as Omicron’s outbreak subsides and hospitalizations drop, there may be a new stage in the Omicron pandemic.

For example in Iowa, where a governor declared on Friday that the public health catastrophe proclamation and the special safety measures associated with it would end on February 15, the governor.

Governor Kim Reynolds posted, “The flu and other infections are part of everyday life. And coronavirus management can be similar.”

On a national level, the average COVID-19 case is 354,000 per day. That’s half of what occurred less than 2 weeks ago. The number was also lower than Jan. 15, when it reached a peak of close to 806,000. Officials say that many infections go unreported because they can be detected using home testing kits.

In the seven-day period, Alaska, Kentucky Washington State, South Carolina, South Carolina, and North Dakota reported the highest numbers of cases per capita.

Current U.S. hospitalizations for COVID were 117,000, up from a peak of almost 153,000 in Jan. 20,

Reporting by Steve Gorman, Los Angeles. Additional reporting by Roshan Abbas in Bengaluru. Susan Heavey in Washington. Lisa Shumaker is Chicago. Editing by Jane Wardell.