U.S. COVID-19 deaths forecasted to reach 500,000 by February

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated that by February, the coronavirus death toll in the US will likely break the 500,000-mark.
• IHME director Chris Murray says the winter surge is mainly due to the cold weather which can push people to spend more time indoors.
• The latest estimate comes as fourteen states reported record-high numbers totaling to 76,195 new cases on Thursday.

As multiple states have reached record highs for one-day increases in infections, researchers suggested on Friday that fatalities in the US from the coronavirus may surpass 500,000 by February.

According to the latest assessment of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), the cold winter weather will further propel Americans to stay indoors where the virus is more apparently spread.

“We are heading into a very substantial fall/winter surge,” said Chris Murray, IHME director and study co-author, adding that 130,000 lives could be saved if 95% of Americans would just use masks.

A Reuters analysis reported 76,195 new cases nationwide on Thursday, slightly lower than the July 16 single-day record high of 77,299. India’s Sept 17 97,894 cases is the only one so far to report more cases in one day.

U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar pinned the jump in cases on people’s behaviors, citing household gatherings as a potential virus spreader.

When asked about President Donald Trump’s saying the US is “rounding the turn” during the presidential debate on Thursday, Azar told CNN that Trump was simply trying to give hope to Americans as they await for a vaccine.

Since the pandemic began, Pennsylvania and 14 other states namely, Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming, have all reported their highest one-day increase in cases.

HOSPITALIZATIONS SOAR

On Thursday, 916 new deaths were again reported since August.

In addition, a Reuters tally also indicated that the number of hospitalizations has also escalated to a 2-month high of 34% since Oct. 1, reporting 41,000 patients nationwide admitted with coronavirus.

Hardest hit state North Dakota with new cases totaling to 887 on Thursday and Friday is followed by South Dakota, Montana and Wisconsin. Eight states that included Alaska, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wyoming, have all reported record highs of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Emergency medicine physician Dr. Jeff Pothof of the University of Wisconsin Health in Madison, expressed concerns about the state’s failure to comply with public health measures.

“If we don’t get that and we have such a tremendous prevalence of COVID-19 in our communities, I don’t see a great way out of this. The picture isn’t rosy.”

Source: News.trust.org