US Covid-19 cases go past 2mn
Harvard expert says fatalities in the US may top 200k by Sept and pandemic won’t be over by then
WASHINGTON: The US now has more than 2 million reported Covid-19 infections, with over 27,000 positive cases reported in the past 24 hours. A spike in hospitalisations has been reported from 12 states, triggering fears of a second wave. And in a grim reminder that the pandemic is far from over, a leading expert has forecast 100,000 more fatalities in the country by September.
More than 112,000 fatalities had been reported till Thursday morning, with 935 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours.
Ashish Jha, a Harvard physician, has projected that the US could witness around 25,000 deaths per month, with an average of around 800 a day, eventually leading to about 200,000 overall fatalities by mid-September.
“Even if we don’t have increasing cases, even if we keep things flat, it’s reasonable to expect that we’re going to hit 200,000 deaths sometime during the month of September,” Jha told CNN. “And that’s just through September. The pandemic won’t be over in September.”
Ramped up testing, contact tracing, adherence to social distancing and the widespread use of masks could help prevent spiralling fatalities, he pointed out.
Anthony Fauci, the top US epidemiologist who has also said the outbreak isn’t over yet in the US, told ABC on Wednesday that he is worried about the impact of the ongoing anti-racism protests. “When you get congregations like we saw with the demonstrations, that’s taking a risk,” said Fauci.
BEIJING HAS FIRST CASE AFTER TWO-MONTH GAP
BEIJING: A new confirmed case of Covid-19 was reported in Beijing on Thursday for the first time in nearly two months, leading to the sealing of a residential complex in the city and contact tracing in the locality.
The 52-year-old man didn’t have a history of travelling outside Beijing or any contact with anyone returning from outside China, officials said.