美国在2020年统计到有史以来最高的死亡人数。
However, statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predict the number of deaths in 2021 will be even larger than in 2020.
然而，美国疾控预防中心的统计数据预测，2021年的死亡人数将比2020年还要高。
Robert Anderson keeps track of deaths for the CDC.
罗伯特·安德森在美国疾控预防中心跟踪死亡人数。
He said when the numbers from November and December come in early next year, the deaths will be higher by about 15,000.
他说，当11月和12月的数据在明年年初公布之后，死亡人数将增加约1.5万人。
The CDC numbers include all deaths, including those from natural causes like old age, plus accidents like car crashes or drug overdoses.
美国疾控预防中心的数据包含所有死亡人数，包括自然老死，以及车祸或药物过量等事故。
Anderson said the deaths from COVID-19 in 2020 reached about 351,000. This year, however, the new coronavirus could be responsible for about 370,000 deaths.
安德森表示，2020年新冠肺炎死亡人数达到了35.1万人。然而今年新冠病毒可能导致约37万人死亡。
COVID-19 is the nation's number three cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer.
新冠肺炎是美国第三大死因，仅次于心脏病和癌症。
Experts also think the U.S. will set a record in 2021 for drug overdose deaths. The number is expected to be more than 100,000 for the first time.
专家还认为，美国药物过量死亡人数将在2021年创下记录。预计这一数字将首次超过10万人。
Death statistics often increase from year to year. For example, there was an increase of 16,000 from 2018 to 2019.
死亡统计数据通常逐年增加。例如，2018年到2019年增加了1.6万人。
However, the number of deaths in the last two years rose sharply because of COVID-19.
然而由于新冠肺炎，过去两年的死亡人数急剧上升。
Kenneth Johnson studies deaths at the University of New Hampshire. He said the U.S. had its smallest population gain in history between July 2020 and July 2021 because of the pandemic.
肯尼斯·约翰逊在新罕布什尔大学研究死亡。他说，由于大流行，美国在2020年7月到2021年之间出现了历史上最低的人口增长。
When vaccines became widely available in the U.S. partway through 2021, officials hoped the number of deaths would slow.
官员们希望，当2020年中期疫苗在美国广泛接种时，死亡人数会放缓。
However, because many Americans are still not vaccinated, people are still dying. The CDC says only about 65 percent of the eligible U.S. population is vaccinated.
然而， 由于许多美国人仍未接种疫苗，仍然有人不断死亡。美国疾控预防中心表示，只有大约65%符合接种条件的美国人接种了疫苗。
Ali Mokdad studies deaths at the University of Washington. He said the combination of new, easier-to-spread versions of COVID-19 plus the large number of unvaccinated people made the number of deaths higher than expected in 2021.
阿里·穆克达德在华盛顿大学研究死亡。他说，新出现的、更易于传播的新冠肺炎变种叠加大量未接种疫苗的人群，使得2021年的死亡人数高于预期。
I'm Dan Friedell.
我是丹·弗里德尔。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，请勿转载，违者必究！)