US coronavirus deaths will hit half a million in February, experts predict

• February and March expected to be peak months for infection
• Slow start for vaccination amid more contagious virus variant

Experts predict 500,000 Americans will probably be killed by Covid-19 before the end of February, and perhaps before, in an acceleration of deaths expected to crest in March.

The warning comes as an increasing number of experts see February and March as peak months for Covid-19 disease transmission in the US, with a more contagious variant circulating in most states and mass vaccination off to a slow start.