U.S. mourns half a million lives lost to coronavirus

FILE PHOTO: Mariachi musicians play during the funeral of Rudy Cruz Sr., who died of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cemetery in El Paso, Texas, U.S. November 25, 2020. Picture taken November 25, 2020. REUTERS/Ivan Pierre Aguirre

(Reuters) - Over half a million people have died of coronavirus in the United States, as the country races to vaccinate its most vulnerable residents before new variants of the deadly disease become widespread.

More people have died in the United States due to COVID-19 than any other country in the world. With 4% of the world's population, the United States has 20% of all COVID deaths and one of the highest rates of deaths per 100,000 residents, exceeded by only a few countries such as Belgium, the United Kingdom and Italy. (Graphic: https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/)