The United States could see COVID-19 related deaths between 95,092 and 242,890 by August 4, 200, according to new estimates from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation or IHME. The cumulative number could be 134,475. The latest prediction factored in the lifting of lockdown measures in 31 states by May 11 in hopes of reopening the country's economy.
In a similar prediction, IHME last month projected that the deaths could reach between 59,300 and 114,200. It was not clear however whether it included in the forecast the plans of reopening the economy.
In this new estimate, IHME said the highest cumulative death toll in August could occur in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Michigan.
At present, the country makes up one-third of the overall COVID-19 cases worldwide. There are now more than 1.2 million Americans suffering from COVID-19 and 71,031 people have already died. These figures are based on the real-time data tracker from Johns Hopkins University.
On Tuesday, Genesis Healthcare confirmed that 54 residents of its Medford nursing home died due to COVID-19. At the same time, 100 residents and 42 employees are positive for the virus.
As death toll mounts, a majority of American voters think President Donald Trump is being "erratic and chaotic" in his handling of the pandemic. The voters polled for the survey conducted by Navigator also believed that he was unprepared for the pandemic.
To be exact, 61% of the respondents described the president as "unprepared" and 57% said he is being "chaotic." Additionally, 52% said Trump had been "irresponsible and 63$ said his response was "self-absorbed."
This perception from the voters is significant now that the US is only six months shy of the general election. The growing negative sentiments among voters perhaps is the reason why they are reports coming claiming that the Trump administration is ramping efforts to cast blame on China. Some observers believe this is to cover his administration's weak response to the pandemic.
Anonymous sources revealed recently that the White House is urging America's foreign allies to blame China for the pandemic. Trump officials have been convincing allies to blame the Asian country for its alleged failure to cut the spread of the disease. According to these sources, several administrative officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and economic adviser Larry Kudlow, are contacting world leaders to align in this belief.
The end goal is to have China face international courts for allegedly knowingly conceal the severity of the pandemic. The Trump administration is purportedly planning on retaliating by implementing additional tariffs on Chinese products, removing China's sovereign immunity, and crack down on Chinese telecommunications companies. The step, as many observers think, is reminiscent of the trade war launched by Trump last year.
Trump had always been consistent that the novel coronavirus originated in a Wuhan lab. Last week, he maintained he has a "high degree of confidence" about this even if his very own spy agency argued this wasn't the case.
This week Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institue of Allergy and Infectious Disease, told National Geographic that the Science is strong, proving the virus originated from bats.
