Coronavirus and other causes driving surge in US deaths

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. has seen at least 66,000 more deaths than usual so far this year, according to government data, and the new coronavirus accounts for much — but not all — of the increase.

Usually the nation sees about 1 million deaths by the end of April, meaning the rise is in the neighborhood of 7%.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posted the data this week, found the new coronavirus was reported as a cause in about half the excess deaths. It’s likely the virus was a factor in many other deaths too, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the CDC’s death statistics work.

But COVID-19 isn't the sole reason for the jump.

Medical examiners say drug overdoses, falls and certain types of accidents around the house may be up. Experts also believe at least some of the excess deaths may have been people with heart problems or other conditions who decided not to go to a hospital because of concerns they were filled with coronavirus-infected people.

“Everybody’s afraid to go to the hospital. And they may be dying more frequently because they’re not taking care of their coronary,” said Dr. Arnold Monto, a University of Michigan researcher who studies flu and coronaviruses.

The virus has become a top killer in some places.

In Connecticut, it was the leading cause of death in April, said Dr. James Gill, the state’s chief medical examiner. The office has handled over 2,300 certified coronavirus-related deaths since late March. Normally, the state averages 2,500 deaths in a typical month.

Five states — Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia — each saw at least 3,000 deaths more than normal through last week, according to the analysis of provisional death certificate data by the CDC's National Center for Health...