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U.S. NEWS Thursday 15 december 2022
U.S. deaths fell this year, but not to pre-COVID levels

By MIKE STOBBE tively good news regard-
AP Medical Writer ing drug overdose deaths,
NEW YORK (AP) — The num- which hit an all-time high
ber of U.S. deaths dropped last year. Provisional over-
this year, but there are still dose death data posted
more than there were be- by the CDC on Wednesday
fore the coronavirus hit. — through the first seven
Preliminary data — through months of this year — sug-
the first 11 months of the gests overdose deaths
year — indicates 2022 will stopped climbing early this
see fewer deaths than the year, around last winter’s
previous two COVID-19 end.
pandemic years. Current Also Wednesday, the CDC
reports suggest deaths released its first report on
may be down about 3% deaths involving long CO-
from 2020 and about 7% vs. VID — long-term symptoms
2021. after a person has recov-
U.S. deaths usually rise year- ered from coronavirus in-
to-year, in part because fection. The CDC estimates
the nation’s population has that about 3,500 deaths
been growing. The pan- from January 2020 through
demic accelerated that June 2022 involved long
trend, making last year the COVID. That’s about 1% of
deadliest in U.S. history, with A visitor sits on a bench to look artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg’s “In America: Remember,” a deaths in which COVID was
more than 3.4 million dying. temporary art installation made up of white flags to commemorate Americans who have died of deemed the underlying or
COVID-19, on the National Mall in Washington on Oct. 2, 2021.
If current trends continue, Associated Press contributing cause.
this year will mark the first Experts believe pharma-
annual decline in deaths likely to end up at least 13% with about 73,000 COVID than double that. ceutical weapons against
since 2009. higher than what it was in deaths in January alone — COVID-19 will nevertheless the coronavirus have been
It will be months before 2019. the third deadliest month end up as the nation’s third making a difference. The
health officials have a full “We’re (still) definitely from COVID-19 since the leading cause of death this Commonwealth Fund this
tally. The October and No- worse off than we were be- pandemic began. For year, just as it was in 2020 week released a modeling
vember numbers are not fore the pandemic,” said 2022, “the bulk of mortal- and 2021 — behind the study that concluded the
yet complete and a late- Amira Roess, a George Ma- ity was concentrated dur- perennial leader, heart dis- U.S. COVID-19 vaccination
December surge could son University professor of ing that omicron wave at ease, and cancer. program prevented more
change the final picture, epidemiology and global the beginning of the year,” Heart disease deaths, than 3.2 million deaths.
said Farida Ahmad, who health. said Iliya Gutin, a University which have tended to “We all really would ex-
leads mortality surveillance Once again, most of the of Texas researcher track- surge in tandem with CO- pect that the number of
at the Centers for Disease annual change is due to ing COVID-19 mortality. VID-19 deaths, are on track deaths — and the number
Control and Prevention. the ebb and flow of COV- Monthly COVID-19 deaths to be down from 2021, Ah- of severe cases — would
If the decline does hold, ID-19, which has killed more dropped below 4,000 in mad said. And it’s not clear decrease, due to a com-
it will still be a far cry from than 1,080,000 Americans April and averaged about whether the number of bination of immunity from
where the nation was be- since it first was recognized 16,000 per month through cancer deaths will change, natural infection and vac-
fore the coronavirus ap- in the U.S. in early 2020. November. The monthly based on preliminary data. cination ... and treatment,”
peared. This year’s count is This year started off horribly, average for 2021 was more There may be some rela- Roess said.q

Trump Org. was secretly held in

contempt for hindering probe

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Merchan ruled. $110,000 for being slow to
Associated Press The subpoenas, issued in respond to a civil subpoe-
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald March, April, May and June na issued by New York’s at-
Trump’s company imped- 2021, preceded the Trump torney general. The former
ed a grand jury investiga- Organization’s July 2021 president has also been
tion last year by repeatedly indictment on criminal tax under investigation for stor-
failing to turn over evidence fraud charges for helping ing classified documents
in a timely fashion, leading executives avoid taxes on at his Mar-a-Lago estate in
to a secret contempt find- company-paid perks. The Florida. Merchan vaguely
ing and a $4,000 fine, ac- company was convicted referenced the Trump Or-
cording to court records this month and faces a fine ganization’s contempt pro- Former President Donald Trump announces a third run for
made public Tuesday. of up to $1.6 million. ceeding while presiding president as he speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Nov.
The Trump Organization The $4,000 contempt fine over the company’s crimi- 15, 2022.
was found to have been was the maximum allow- nal trial, saying he would Associated Press
“willfully disobeying” four able by law. wait until after it was over contempt trial on Oct. 7, name was blacked out in
grand jury subpoenas and It’s yet another kerfuffle to unseal records related to 2021 and Merchan’s par- the court record released
three court orders, to the involving Trump and al- an unspecified proceeding tially redacted 28-page rul- Tuesday, the details in the
detriment of Manhattan legations of mishandling held last year. ing finding the company in decision and the manner
prosecutors who were left or withholding records. In That proceeding turned contempt, which he issued in which it was unsealed
ill-prepared to question wit- April, a judge held Trump out to be the Trump Or- on Dec. 8, 2021. by the judge made it clear
nesses, Judge Juan Manuel in contempt and fined him ganization’s closed-door While the company’s who was involved. q