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Covid expected to remain a leading cause of death long after the pandemic

Posted at 8:40 PM, Sep 20, 2022
and last updated 2022-09-20 23:40:27-04

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that covid has killed between 300 and 500 people every day since April. They’ve listed covid as the third leading cause of death in the United States in both 2020 and 2021, behind heart disease and cancer.

Medical experts expect the virus to remain a leading cause of death long after the pandemic. The chair of the University of California San Francisco’s Department of Medicine said the pandemic remains a threat to people whether people call it a pandemic or not. His comments follow President Joe Biden’s declaration that the pandemic is over.

In Kern County, Public Health is reporting an increase in covid infections locally, with 1,871 new cases since the numbers were last updated on September 16th. That averages to about 624 new cases of covid in Kern County every day.

Public Health is also reporting three new covid deaths in Kern County, bringing the total amount of covid-related deaths in the county to 2,535.

In addition to the ongoing spike, flu season is here and physicians are bracing for an increase in cases of respiratory diseases following an unprecedented flu season overseas.