The number is based on death certificates and other official records. But given how many diagnoses were probably missed in the spring of 2020, when testing was in short supply, and a lack of official guidance about reporting these records, that is certainly an undercount
Flags representing those who have died of the coronavirus in the U.S. on the D.C. Armory parade grounds in Washington, Oct. 24, 2020. It’s difficult to comprehend and convey the toll of the coronavirus pandemic, so it may not be surprising that there’s no single way that federal agencies, newsrooms or universities have arrived at such an immense number as one million known U.S. coronavirus deaths. Image: Stefani Reynolds/The New York Times
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