Coronavirus Watch: Colin Powell, first Black secretary of state, dies from COVID-19 complications

Colin Powell, the first Black secretary of state whose career was defined in part by America's two wars with Iraq, died Monday of COVID-19 related complications.

Powell, 84, was born in New York City to Jamaican immigrants, served four U.S. presidents and rose to become the first African American and the youngest chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's highest-ranking military officer. He died Monday at Walter Reed National Medical Center.

His family said he was fully vaccinated against COVID-19. USA TODAY's Adrianna Rodriguez spoke to experts about how rare that is. Here's what they said:

• Although dying from COVID-19 is extremely uncommon among the fully vaccinated, health experts say age and preexisting medical conditions may increase the odds of breakthrough infection, severe disease and even death.
• Unvaccinated people 80 and older are about six times more likely to die from a COVID-19 infection than vaccinated people in the same age group, CDC data shows.
• As of Oct. 12, there have been 7,178 deaths among vaccinated people, with 85% of the deaths are in people 65 and older, CDC data shows.

It's Monday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the USA TODAY Network.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 44.9 million COVID-19 cases and 724,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 240 million cases and more than 4.9 million deaths. About 66% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 57% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Among U.S. adults, 79% have received at least one shot, and about 68% are fully vaccinated.

Tracking the pandemic: See the numbers in your area here. See where cases are rising here. See vaccination rates here. And here, compare vaccinations rates worldwide and see which countries are using which vaccines.

– Grace Hauck, USA TODAY breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck