Prominent New Model Has Grim COVID Prediction
Winter isn’t all that far away, and with it, some not-great news, at least according to a prominent model with a new prediction on COVID-19 deaths.
While Johns Hopkins documents more than 160,100 deaths so far in the US from the coronavirus, the “forecast totals 295,011 deaths by December,” read a grim projection Thursday from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, per CNN.
NPR reports that, of more than two dozen national coronavirus forecasts, the IHME’s is the direst in terms of the death toll, with some offering more optimistic outlooks.
The outlet also notes other sobering takeaways based on that group’s projection, including that it would put COVID-19 on a path to become the third leading cause of death in the US—behind only heart disease and cancer—and with more than five times the number of annual flu deaths.
The CDC offered its own look ahead Thursday, noting there could be up to 190,000 total US deaths by Aug. 29. But there’s some good news amid the gloom: “The model doesn’t have to come true,” according to IHME Director Christopher Murray, who says the public’s behavior can play a major role in stopping the spread—specifically via the wearing of masks.
The IHME statement notes that if 95% of Americans consistently wore face coverings, that December projection would drop to just over 228,000 deaths, saving more than 66,000 lives. Currently, 39 states, plus Puerto Rico and DC, have some sort of mask mandate in place. Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN’s New Day on Thursday that “we can be way down in November … if we do things correctly, and if we start right now.” Head to NPR to read more analysis on the IHME’s projection.
Edited via Newser.
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