Washington – Former Food and Drug Administration chief Dr. Scott Gottlieb warned Sunday that the death toll from coronavirus in the United States could reach 300,000 by the end of 2020, depending on how the American people respond to the virus.
“We will certainly be somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000,” Gottlieb said in an interview with “Face the Nation” when asked if he stands by his prediction that the U.S. could reach 300,000 dead by the end of the year. “Whether we’re closer to 200,000 or closer to 300,000 depends on what we do and how it evolves.”
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US over 5 million on Sunday morning, and more than 162,000 people died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. Cases remain high in 11 states.
Gottlieb said there have been two waves of the coronavirus epidemic in the US, with the first in New York and the second in the Sun Belt, where it is now back. But he predicted the country would likely experience a third wave.
“The concern now is that this has become so pervasive across the country that it could start to infect more rural communities that to this day are largely untouched and probably a little more satisfied because they are untouched. , but are still very vulnerable because the infection has not been there, “Gottlieb said. “If this becomes very transparent throughout the country and not only in the city centers but also in more rural parts of the country, it will become much more difficult to control as it is more widespread. And we are seeing indications of that now. “
While many administrators lifted restrictions on businesses and house-to-house orders throughout March, when the U.S. went into the summer months, many states have reinstated restrictions on restaurants, bars and other indoor units amid a peak in cases.
A growing number of school districts have also chosen to begin virtual learning next academic year, despite the Trump administration’s insistence that K-12 schools allow for instruction in person as they open as soon as this month.
President Trump has continued to reduce the risk of children infecting others with the coronavirus, telling “Fox and Friends” in an interview last week that they are “almost immune” to the virus. But Gottlieb rejected the president’s request.
“Children are not immune to this virus,” he said. “We have seen poor results. The CDC recently documented 570 cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. There are more cases that occur. We have seen children die. There are 86 children who have died. to this and thousands who have been hospitalized. And so this is a risk to children. “
Gottlieb said that if children were preparing for returning to school, “ideally” there should be a testing regime in place where teachers are tested before entering a classroom, citing widespread testing at some universities, where teachers and students are tested several times a week. But Gottlieb admitted that the U.S. did not have the tests available “to carry out the kind of surveillance we want.”
“We do not have the resources. We do not currently have the opportunities in most districts to do that. And that is really the problem,” he said. “We need to implement more low-cost tests, tests that can be done at the point of care than at the point of school or work.”
.
