Every time I checked the weekly numbers on CDC in early to mid winter it was roughly 20,000 deaths. The 1918 pandemic swelled worse. In January, the vaccines had JUST started to get out to larger numbers, the deaths were swelling before that, and it was expected to take to maybe late summer to fully slow the virus down. It seems to be working, as the past week now has 5,000 deaths: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_deathsinlast7days