The coronavirus pandemic has hit the US hard and now the White House is warning that Americans should brace for tougher two weeks as the number of cases peak. President Donald Trump has indicated that the number of coronavirus deaths could be between 100,000 and 240,000 even if tougher measures are imposed.
White House warns cases will peak in two weeks
During Tuesday’s White House coronavirus briefing the president said that the next two to three weeks could be painful. He said that the US will have three difficult weeks like it has never seen before. The number of COVID-19 fatalities will peak over the next two weeks. The president said that when you consider the number of fatalities reported as a result of this invisible enemy it is inconceivable.
According to John Hopkins University, the number of COVID-19 infections in the US has surpassed 184,000. New York is now the epicenter of the virus with 75,795 cases surpassing the number of cases reported in Hubei province in China where the virus originated. Governor Andrew Cuomo stated on Tuesday that the cases might not peak in the state until after three weeks. The number of fatalities in the US passed 3,800.
The US could report up to 240,000 coronavirus cases
Trump has been criticized for the worsening situation because of his failure to prepare breathing apparatus, testing kits as well as other equipment. The COVID-19 taskforce response coordinator Deborah Birx indicated that models show that in the worst-case scenarios around 1.5 million to 2.2 million people could die if there is no mitigation. She added that the measures currently in place could minimize the fatalities to a maximum of 240,000.
Birx indicated that social distancing could help combat the spread of the virus. She added that early mitigation measures in place in Washington and California show that there is hope to contain the spread. She stressed that communities have to take the initiative of social distancing because there is no magic therapy or vaccine that can help prevent the spread of COVID-19.