And U.S. As the virus continues to plague communities, experts warn that the coming weeks will likely be brutal and the death toll from the epidemic will continue to rise.
As of Dec. 18, more than 2,300 Americans could lose their lives every day, according to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).
“We expect daily deaths to reach a peak of over 2,500 per day in mid-January,” the IHME modeling team wrote on Thursday.
The group has also significantly increased its Covid-19 death forecast, now predicting a total of 471,000 American deaths as of March 1 – more than 30,000 since their last allegation about a week ago.
Dr. “It’s sometimes very frustrating because we know what works,” Anthony Fauci told CNN’s Chris Cumo on Thursday night. “If we were all pulling together as a country, the basics we say, the masks we wear, the distance we maintain, the gatherings we avoid, the settings of the people and the crowds, it does things outside. … It’s not a big deal. It’s easy to do. “
Those simple steps can save lives. According to the IHME team, if 95% of Americans wear masks, the lives of 65,000 people could be saved by March 1.
Doctors, nurses, hospitals ask the public to celebrate responsibly
“The record-breaking operation has resulted in uncontrolled community outbreaks and infections that have already put excessive pressure on health systems in some areas and will eventually consume the capacity of our health care system and reduce the availability of care in many parts of our country.” Said.
CDC’s Covid-19 Event Manager, Dr. Hen. “Someone you love is more likely to get sick and then be hospitalized and die during the holidays,” Henry Walke told reporters in a conference call.
And with at least 40% of infections previously estimated by the CDC to be asymptomatic, officials are concerned that people may bring them to holiday programs without their knowledge and endanger other vulnerable members of their family.
“I haven’t seen my parents since January,” Walke said. “I just stay at home, and I have big parents who want to see me and my kids.”
In the past week, similar messages have been echoed by leading health experts and state leaders.
Louisiana Gov. John Bell Edwards warned that if residents are planning a Thanksgiving that sounds like the previous ones, “you make a mistake.” In Utah, where hospitals are overcrowded and about 45 ICU beds are empty, the governor advised that only one household should gather for the holiday.
Further curfew, measures to prevent spread
The governor said that important work and gatherings must be closed between 10 and 5 pm, the order will be in force for a month.
Now a statewide curfew is also being enforced in Ohio, where government Mike Dyne made it clear that police would pull people out when they don’t see them driving at night.
“We assume they have a legitimate reason to be out,” the governor said. “But, on the other hand, if there are a number of people gathering somewhere, and the police see that … surely they might go ahead and say, ‘Hey, it’s outside 10 o’clock, you guys need to go home.'”
In Arkansas, the governor announced a 11 a.m. shutdown for all businesses that are licensed to sell and allow alcohol on campus.
CNN’s Maggie Fox, Jamie Lynch and Rebecca Reese contributed to this report.
.
