Covid-19's astounding death toll in the US

The leading causes of death in the US are heart disease, cancer and respiratory diseases. They account for about 1.4m deaths a year.

Nearly 80,000 deaths caused by guns and car accidents in 2019. Another 50,000 died of the flu and pneumonia.

And during America's deadliest wars, upwards of 100,000 US soldiers died each year.

When the first case of Covid-19 arrived in the US one year ago on 20 January 2020, few Americans believed the virus belonged on this chart.

Then the first wave hit.

The first wave of cases were largely concentrated in the New York area, as well as parts of the south and Native American communities. At its peak, more than 2,000 people were dying each day of Covid-19.

It was clear from early on that people of color were getting hit the hardest. One year after the virus first arrived in the US, the virus is killing Black and indigenous Americans at significantly higher rates than everyone else.

The second wave of deaths, beginning in June, killed about 1,000 a day at its peak.

It was a smaller wave concentrated in the south and the west coast.

Older people were most vulnerable to dying of Covid-19. Thousands of people in long-term care facilities like nursing homes would die in just one year.

So far it has killed nearly 1% of all Americans older than 75.

In October another wave of cases started sweeping across the US. Now the virus has spread virtually everywhere.

Frontline workers have paid the price. The Guardian and Kaiser Health News have counted more than 3,100 healthcare workers who have died of Covid-19 – most of them under the age of 65.

Covid 19 now accounts for more American deaths per year than car accidents, gun deaths, flu and pneumonia deaths, and even the deadliest wars.

In the minute it's taken you to read this story, two people in America have died of Covid-19.

By the end of the day, more than 3,000 people will have died.