Conveying grim milestone: Networks illustrate staggering 250K coronavirus deaths

On Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, the United States hit 250,000 deaths — a quarter of a million — from coronavirus since the pandemic began.

That’s a staggering toll — by comparison, even high end figures estimate that about 60,000 people per year have died from the flu over the past decade.

On “NBC Nightly News,” anchor Lester Holt started the broadcast by saying “… there are several major developments in the COVID pandemic crisis we need to tell you about — but none bigger than this number: 250,000. The number of people who … have now died in country from the virus. Think about it: 250,000 and no amount of loss and suffering seems to be changing the trajectory.”