COVID-19 fatalities reach 10,000 in the US

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The death toll in the United States has reached 10,000, according to the tracking by John Hopkins University, with the highest confirmed cases of over 347,000 in a country by far.
• Evidence showed that the recorded death toll is too low, as some health officials in rural areas noted that some deaths prior to the “first” confirmed COVID-19 death on February 29 were “likely misidentified as influenza or pneumonia.”
• Dr. Deborah Birx, the lead expert on the coronavirus task force, acknowledged that the death toll in the country will still likely be around 100,000-200,000.

Based on the tracking by John Hopkins University, fatalities due to the coronavirus in the United States have reached 10,000 — with over 347,000 positive cases, highest reported in a country by far.

Italy (15,887) and Spain (13,055) recorded the most number of deaths brought by the virus, followed by the United States.

As of his writing, there have been almost 1.3 million positive cases and more than 70,000 deaths globally.

China, where the virus had originated, has reported only 3,335 deaths, with more than 82,000 positive cases. However, the numbers were suspected to have been manipulated, as the Chinese government was being criticized for attempting to obscure the real impact of the outbreak in the country.

Likewise, the US also faced issues with the actual impact of COVID-19. Evidence showed that the US death toll looks too low as some health officials claimed that the official tally did not capture the real figures of fatalities. The first confirmed death was reported on February 29 in the Washington state. However, doctors in rural areas told the New York Times that some deaths prior to the “first” confirmed COVID-19 death were “likely misidentified as influenza or only described as pneumonia.”

Vice Admiral Jerome Adams, US surgeon general, cautioned that Americans would witness the coming week as “the hardest and the saddest” week.

“This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it’s not going to be localized, it’s going to be happening all over the country… And I want America to understand that,” the vice admiral said on Fox News Sunday.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the lead expert on the coronavirus task force, noted that the decreasing new cases and deaths in Italy and Spain were signs of encouragement. However, she did not dismiss the anticipated fatalities of around 100,000 to 200,000 in the US, as she said that Dr. Anthony Fauci got an update from another modeler with projections still close to 100,000 deaths.

President Donald Trump was fully aware that the death toll will surge in the coming weeks, but the overall trajectory was encouraging. “We see light at the end of the tunnel… Things are happening,” he said.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Italy recorded its lowest daily death toll of 525 in two weeks. Officials are hopeful to flatten down the curve soon.

Source: AOL.com