The US and the UK have been seeing a rise in the number of people dying of coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Covid-19 deaths in the US have climbed to an average of more than 1,900 a day for the first time since early March, while the United Kingdom has seen 160,000 fatalities so far.

The increasing number of infections have filled hospitals, complicated the start of the school year and delayed return to offices in the United States, reports AP. Experts in the US have said that the coronavirus disease is preying largely on a distinct group—the unvaccinated Americans.

The seven-day average of US hospital deaths with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 is down 8.9 per cent from the recent peak on September 16, according to the data from the US department of health and human Services. As many as 24 people died in one week alone at CoxHealth hospitals in the US’ Springfield Branson area. West Virginia has had more deaths in the first three weeks of September than in the previous three months combined. Georgia is averaging 125 dead per day, reports AP.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, now, nearly 64 per cent of the US population has received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and yet, average deaths per day have climbed 40 per cent over the past two weeks, from1,387 to 1,947.

Meanwhile, Britain reported 35,623 new Covid-19 cases and 180 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test, official data showed on Friday. The UK’s Office for National Statistics has said that there have now been 160,000 deaths registered in the country where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. However, the Covid-19 vaccine rollout continues to be an incredible success in the UK. As many as 93,350,658 Covid-19 jabs have been given out across the nation—48,705,771 were first doses and 44,644,887 were second doses—according to data.

The latest data came as the UK’s coronavirus reproduction number, also known as the R number, has fallen slightly to between 0.8 and 1, the latest government figures show. Last week, the R-value was between 0.9 and 1.1. The growth rate in England is now between minus 3 per cent and minus 1 per cent a day, meaning that the number of new infections is shrinking by between 1 per cent and 3 per cent each day.