U.S. COVID-19 fatalities surpass 1918 flu estimates

White flags are seen on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Sept. 17, 2021. More than 660,000 white flags were installed here to honor the lives lost to COVID-19 in the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The 1918 flu killed an estimated 675,000 Americans. It was considered America's most lethal pandemic in recent history up until now.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. COVID-19 deaths on Monday surpassed 675,000, the estimated U.S. fatalities from the 1918 influenza pandemic.

As of 4:21 p.m. ET on Monday, 675,446 Americans were killed due to COVID-19, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Total COVID-19 cases in the country were over 42 million.

The fatalities are expected to continue to rise as the country is currently experiencing another wave of new infections, fueled by the fast-spreading Delta variant.

"The number of reported deaths from COVID in the US will surpass the toll of the 1918 flu pandemic this month. We cannot become hardened to the continuing, and largely preventable, tragedy," tweeted Tom Frieden, the former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Sept. 13.

The 1918 flu killed an estimated 675,000 Americans, according to the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention. It was considered America's most lethal pandemic in recent history up until now.