White House fears up to 240k deaths
US task force experts say 100,000-240,000 Americans could die despite efforts to limit the damage
WASHINGTON: The death toll in the US from the coronavirus pandemic, which is now over 4,500, has eclipsed the number of nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. And if trends continue, the White House fears that 100,000 to 240,000 deaths are likely in the country.
Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, warned that the numbers are what “we need to anticipate, but that doesn’t mean that that’s what we’re going to accept. Our hope is to get that down as much as we can”.
Fauci, a member of the White House task force, and Deborah Birx, who also serves on the task force, said in a presentation that 100,000 to 240,00 Americans could die despite the social distancing and other mitigation efforts. The toll could be higher - 1.5 to 2.2mn if nothing was done, they said.
Also on Tuesday, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the pandemic is the “most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War”.
The deadly disease has spread to more than 170 countries. It has infected more than 912,000 people worldwide, claiming over 45,500 lives so far.
The staggering scale and reach of the pandemic is unprecedented in recent history, as the UN secretary-general noted at a news briefing to release a report on the socioeconomic impact of Covid-19. “This is, indeed, the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War and the one that needs a stronger and more effective response that is only possible in solidarity if everybody comes together and if we forget political games and understand that it is humankind that is at stake,” Guterres said.
The US has the most confirmed cases now. Going up by nearly 30,000, the figure stood at around 205,000 on Wednesday - more than twice the number of cases in China. At least 4,500 people in the US have died from the disease. New York state with over 83,700 cases has overtaken Hubei province’s 67,000.
The US, which has more deaths than in China, remained behind worst-hit Italy and Spain in terms of fatalities. New York state and NYC remained the hardest hit in the US. These numbers, as around the United States, will continue to rise in the coming days and weeks..
US President Donald Trump told reporters the US will “go through a very tough two weeks.. very, very painful two weeks”.
The Trump administration is accepting help from other countries. A planeload of masks and other medical equipment took off from a Moscow airfield earlier on Wednesday for the US.