300,000 Americans Could Die from Covid by December, Warns Expert as Global Cases Top 19M

The American death toll from coronavirus could be as high as 300,000 by December 1, forecasted by an expert from the University of Washington as the infections continue to ravage the country.

 

The forecast came after top White House infectious disease advisers warned that major U.S. cities could become new coronavirus hot spots without being vigilant in counter-measure.

“We’re seeing a rollercoaster in the United States. It appears that people are wearing masks and socially distancing more frequently as infections increase, then after a while as infections drop, people let their guard down and stop taking these measures to protect themselves and others – which, of course, leads to more infections. And the potentially deadly cycle starts over again,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of Institute for the Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine.

 

Dr. Murray pointed out that there appear to be fewer transmissions of the coronavirus in Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas, even though deaths are rising and will continue to rise for the next week or two. The drop in infections appears to be driven by the combination of local mandates for mask use, bar and restaurant closures, and more responsible behavior by the public.

Meanwhile, the transmission in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Virginia appear to be on a rise, based on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.

 

To lower the death toll forecasted by IHME at 300,000 fatalities, 70,000 lives could be saved if people follow proper measures and  wear masks, starting today. Masks and other protective measures against transmission of the virus are essential to staying virus-free, but the inconsistent use of those measures is a serious problem, stated IHME.

 

As of Friday, August 7, 2020, worldwide coronavirus confirmed cases were 19,166,379 and the fatalities were 714,246. Meanwhile, the U.S. remained the world’s most infectious countries as well as the highest death toll. The country report confirmed cases at 4,898,524 with 159,752 deaths, according to Reuters’ tally.