evidence: By — Carla K. Johnson, Associated Press Carla K. Johnson, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/u-s-covid-deaths-hit-1-million-less-than-3-years-into-the-pandemic Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter U.S. COVID deaths hit 1 million less than 3 years into the pandemic Health May 16, 2022 1:41 PM EDT The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration. The confirmed number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days. It is roughly equal to how many Americans died in the Civil War and World War II combined. It’s as if Boston and Pittsburgh were wiped out. "It is hard to imagine a million people plucked from this earth," said Jennifer Nuzzo, who leads a new pandemic center at the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island. "It’s still happening and we are letting it happen." READ MORE: Why 1 million dead from COVID is so hard for our brains to understand Some of those left behind say they cannot return to normal. They replay their loved ones’ voicemail messages.