KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 15): Covid-19 was the number 1 cause of death for people aged 35-54 and among the top seven leading causes of death for people in other age groups in the United States (US) in September 2021.

According to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) of Covid-19 fatalities released on Wednesday, Covid-19 was the third leading cause of death across most of 2020, but in December 2020 and early 2021, the illness surged and briefly became the number one leading cause of death in the US, far surpassing even cancer and heart disease deaths in those months.

KFF said that with the rapid uptake in vaccinations in the months when vaccines first became widely available, Covid-19 deaths fell sharply.

It said Covid-19 dropped to the number 7 leading cause of death in the US in July 2021.

However, it said with the more infectious Covid-19 Delta variant, insufficient vaccination rates, and local and state governments easing up social distancing restrictions, Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths increased again.

KFF said vaccination rates are particularly lagging for younger adults and people living in certain states.

It said as of Oct 7, 2021, about 78% of adults (ages 18+) in the US have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose and over 50 million adults remain unvaccinated.