US hitting encouraging milestones on virus deaths and shots

FILE – In this June 5, 2021, file photo, two men talk as crowds gather on L Street Beach in the South Boston neighborhood of Boston. COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have dipped below 300 a day for the first time since the early days of the disaster in March 2020, while the number of Americans fully vaccinated has reached about 150 million. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

The U.S. is reaching a pair of encouraging milestones as the COVID-19 pandemic’s grip on the nation continues to loosen.

COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have dipped below 300 a day for the first time since the outbreak’s early days in March 2020.

Meanwhile, nearly 150 million Americans are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, behind heart disease and cancer.

Now, however, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that more Americans are dying every day from accidents, chronic lower respiratory diseases, strokes or Alzheimer’s disease than COVID-19.