With president Donald Trump demanding states now re-open their economies still under attack from COVID-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning of more than 100,000 American deaths from the disease by June 1 because of Trump's haste.
CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said leading mortality forecasts are still trending upward and will continue to do so. He cited 12 different models from respected institutions such as Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology tracked by CDC to arrive at this scientific conclusion.
The dozen models show cumulative reported coronavirus deaths since February and estimates deaths for the next four weeks in the United States.
CDC pointed out the models are based on different assumptions about how Americans are following physical distancing guidelines and other measures seeking to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the virus that causes COVID-19.
"As of May 11, all [12 models] forecast an increase in deaths in the coming weeks and a cumulative total exceeding 100,000 by June 1," he said.
This was the first time Dr. Redfield has made a public pronouncement of estimated deaths. Dr. Redfield's public reappearance after days of silence came on the same day the respected British medical journal, The Lancet, called for his resignation due to his failure to stop Trump from stifling the CDC and using the agency as an election tool.
"The CDC needs a director who can provide leadership without the threat of being silenced," wrote The Lancet in a scathing editorial.
The editorial asked why the CDC, which it said was once "the gold standard for global disease detection and control," allowed Trump to trample on it and use it for his political ends. It scolded the CDC for standing idly by while Trump turned it into an "ineffective and nominal adviser" on the U.S. response to COVID-19.
The CDC's projected death toll for June 1 is headed for confirmation. The U.S. reported 1.50 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 90,113 deaths, as of 5:00 p.m. Sunday, Hong Kong time, according to Worldometer. The U.S. will reach the 100,000 death toll earlier, more likely before May 24, since daily deaths continue to range from almost 2,000 to almost 3,000.
