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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Is the death toll from COVID-19 approaching that of some of the worst events in US history?

By Laura Brickman
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YES

The COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. reached 286,000 on December 9, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC recorded 6,489 COVID-19 deaths on April 15, 2020, the highest single-day toll it has reported. Since the first reported case, the U.S. has experienced an average 906 deaths per day, with a steady rise since October.

The CDC estimates the toll could reach up to 329,000 by December 26. World War II claimed 418,000 American lives. The Civil War, the U.S.'s deadliest military conflict, claimed at least 620,000 lives. The 1900 Galveston hurricane, America's deadliest recorded natural disaster, killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people. The COVID-19 estimate, though grim, remains for now below the estimated 675,000 Americans killed during the 1918 flu pandemic.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
CDC: Daily trends in number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States
Statista: COVID-19 average deaths by day compared to influenza and all causes
CDC: COVID-19 forecasts—deaths
National World War II Museum: WWII deaths by country
American Battlefield Trust: Civil War casualties
The New York Times: New estimate raises Civil War death toll
History.com: How the Galveston hurricane of 1900 became the deadliest U.S. natural disaster
CDC: 1918 pandemic influenza historic timeline
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Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.