One chart shows how many Americans are dying from coronavirus each week compared to other common causes of death like heart disease, cancer, and the flu

Healthcare workers wheel the body of a deceased person from the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center during the coronavirus outbreak in Brooklyn, New York City, April 2, 2020.REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid

• More than 13,000 Americans died last week from COVID-19, surpassing past weekly averages for other top causes of death like heart disease and cancer.
• The US has more coronavirus cases and deaths than any other country: as of Friday morning more than 667,000 people have gotten sick and more than 32,000 have died.
• Models are now predicting fewer deaths than before — around 60,000 by August — but experts warn that number could rise again if social-distancing measures don't remain in place.
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As the new coronavirus continues to spread throughout the US, it's now killing more Americans per week than other top causes of death like heart disease and cancer have in past years.

Last week, more than 13,000 people died from COVID-19, surpassing the nearly 12,500 killed on average each week in 2018 by heart conditions and the 11,500 killed by cancer, showing just how quickly the virus has taken its toll on American lives.

Over the past few weeks, the US has become the hardest-hit country by the pandemic, with more than 32,000 deaths and 667,000 confirmed cases as of this morning. Worldwide, more than 143,000 people have died, meaning the coronavirus has already claimed more lives than outbreaks of the Ebola, MERS, and SARS viruses.

Business Insider compiled data from The COVID Tracking Project, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the US Census to show how COVID-19 deaths over time compare to other common causes of death in the US: heart disease, cancer, bad flu seasons, and car crashes.

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