The death count of COVID-19 has risen alarmingly fast in the United States. Just a handful of days earlier, the death count crossed the 20,000 mark in Illinois, 425,000 in the US, and 2.1 million internationally .

The first COVID related deaths were reported in early February 2020 and has had dramatic graph shifts ever since. At first, the graph demonstrated the trend of sharp peaks once a week, at an increasing rate as the month kept progressing.

The first massive peak of the year, also referred to as the first wave, took place in May of 2020. In Illinois specifically, the highest count was on May 13 with 193 deaths in one day. The graph then progressed to go on on a negative slope until June 8, with another steep peak at 203 deaths in one day. By the end of June, the death toll of Illinois had hit, according to the Chicago Tribune, over 5,900 confirmed deaths.

Simultaneously, America’s count had been growing overall. But the US and Illinois had slightly different patterns. A graph published by the New York Times says, the US as a whole, peaked in mid April, with 2,309 deaths reported on April 16, Contrastingly to Illinois, the overall average death rate dropped drastically in late May and early June, fueling the hopes of many Americans that life will soon go back to normal.

The death rate rapidly slowed down in mid 2020. From mid September to early November, the average death rate remained at about 800. There were no clear signs of a decrease nor was a second wave expected.

Starting in mid November to today, the death rates have risen rapidly at a very concerning rate. The New York Times says one of the days with the highest death count being over 3,000 confirmed deaths on Jan. 14, 2021.

The anniversary of one year of quarantine is nearing, but the rate of increase of COVID confirmed cases, as well as deaths, has been on a new rise.