William Brangham:
Still, as the campaign ends, the virus kills more Americans than ever before. Last week, several days, more than 3,000 Americans died every day. It’s September 11th that goes by day after day. The United States has one of the worst mortality rates in the developed world.
Across the nation, the spread of cases and deaths remains uneven. The Midwest and Plains states have a better trend, while California, Texas and much of the southeast are moving in the wrong direction.
And the virus continues to fall harder in black and brown communities. It is more likely, per capita, to contract the virus and die from it. Right now, blacks and African Americans die from COVID-19 nearly twice as many as whites.
Now the hope is that vaccines and the continuation of public health measures will finally slow down and perhaps end up slowing the deadly progress of the virus.
For “PBS NewsHour,” I’m William Brangham.