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The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States could surpass 500,000 in February, unless nearly all Americans wear face masks, researchers said Friday, as 14 states set new records for the increase in cases in one day.
The latest estimate from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), widely cited, reflects concerns that cold winter weather will drive Americans inland, where coronavirus spreads more easily, particularly in confined and poorly ventilated spaces.
Nationwide, 76,195 new cases were reported Thursday, according to a Reuters analysis, just shy of the single-day record of 77,299 reported on July 16. Only India has reported more cases in a single day: 97,894, on September 17.
“We are heading for a substantial fall / winter increase,” said IHME Director Chris Murray, who co-led the research.
The number of possible deaths could be reduced by 130,000 if 95 percent of Americans covered their faces, the IHME said, echoing a recommendation from Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The country’s Health Secretary Alex Azar has attributed the increase in cases across the country to individual behavior, saying that family gatherings have become a “major vector for the spread of disease.”
When asked about President Donald Trump’s claim that the United States was “turning around” the pandemic during Thursday night’s presidential debate, Azar told CNN that Trump was trying to give Americans hope that they were waiting for a vaccine.
Pennsylvania, an undecided state expected to play a crucial role in the November 3 presidential election, reported its largest increase in cases in a day since the pandemic began. “The daily increases are now comparable to what we saw in April 2020,” the Pennsylvania Department of Health said in a statement issued Friday.
Record one-day increases were also reported by states of Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
More in the hospital
On Thursday, there were 916 deaths reported in the United States, a day after the country recorded more than 1,200 new deaths for the first time since August.
Also Thursday, the number of COVID-19 patients in US hospitals rose to a two-month high. There are now more than 41,000 people hospitalized with coronavirus nationwide, up 34 percent since the beginning of the month, according to a Reuters analysis.
North Dakota, with 887 new cases both Thursday and Friday, remains the worst-hit state, based on new cases per capita, followed by South Dakota, Montana and Wisconsin.
Eight states reported record numbers of COVID-19 patients in the hospital Friday: Alaska, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Researchers from the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Assessment say that nearly all Americans should wear masks to slow the spread of COVID-19 [Michael Loccisano/Getty Images via AFP]
In Tennessee, Nashville hospitals said they had seen a 40 percent increase in patients admitted for the coronavirus.
Dr. Jeff Pothof, an emergency physician at the University of Wisconsin Health in Madison, expressed concern about the lack of compliance with public health measures in the state, where some groups have challenged the Democratic governor’s COVID-19 restrictions. Tony Evers in court.
“If we don’t get it, and we have such a tremendous prevalence of COVID-19 in our communities, I don’t see a great way out of this,” said Dr. Pothof. “The image is not rosy.”
Chicago Mayor Lori E Lightfoot announced a curfew for non-essential businesses starting at 10pm on Friday (03:00 GMT Saturday). He warned residents to avoid social gatherings of more than six people and to end all gatherings before 10 p.m.
Nearly 2,500 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Illinois, the state’s top public health official, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, said at a news conference.
The Northeast remains the only region in the county without a significant increase in cases, but infections tend to increase. Boston public schools switched to online-only learning this week.
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