Arizona has one of highest COVID-19 death rates in US

Over the course of the past 18 months, Arizona has amassed one of the highest COVID-19 fatality rates in the country.

As of Friday, the U.S. has counted more than 670,000 deaths since the first American death was reported in early 2020, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Just 54.86% of the country’s population has been vaccinated. Arizona has reported 19,379 deaths from the virus overall, with 19 more added to the tally on Friday. The state’s vaccination rate is a little higher than the country’s at 57.1%.

According to Johns Hopkins, Arizona is in the top 10 of states with the highest death rates for every 100,000 residents, with a rate of 261 per 100,000. Arizona is behind New Jersey, Mississippi, New York, Louisiana and Massachusetts. It’s only ahead of Rhode Island, Alabama, Pennsylvania and Florida.