Overburdened hospitals have been further strained as gun violence spiked in the United States in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic according to media reports.

A study published Thursday said that 62,500 firearm-related incidents occurred in the country from March 2020 to February 2021, 15 percent higher than expected based on previous trends.

These incidents resulted in more than 10,000 excess non-fatal injuries and about 4,400 excess deaths, which has put extra pressure on already overwhelmed hospitals.