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Dr. Sheetal Sheth (L) an OB-GYN and Medical Director for Labour and Delivery at George Washington University Hospital, is vaccinated for COVID-19 by nurse Lillian Wirpsza, December 14, 2020, in Washington, DC. Image Credit: AFP

Washington: More than 300,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally on Monday, as the country started its desperately-awaited vaccine program.

The grim death toll of 300,267 was reached on the day that New York nurse Sandra Lindsay became the first person in America to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, live on television. The country has recorded more than 16.3 million COVID-19 cases.