COVID-19 is the Number One Cause of Death in the U.S. in Early 2021

A updated issue brief examines the most recent data on deaths from COVID-19 and other causes, and finds that COVID-19 is currently the number one cause of death in the United States.

As of February 20, 2021, an average of more than 2,400 people per day died of COVID-19 in the U.S. during February 2021 – a number nearly 20% higher than the next leading cause. Heart disease, which is typically the number one cause of death in the U.S. each year, leads to the death of about 2,000 Americans per day, and cancer claims about 1,600 American lives per day.

The issue brief is available in full on the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an online information hub dedicated to monitoring and assessing the performance of the U.S. health system.