The Director of the United States, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, warned on Monday that United States COVID-19 casualties could escalate to more than 300,000 by the end of the year if the pandemic continues on the same trajectory.
In the last month daily deaths from the virus have hovered between around 1000 and 2000 Fauci said. ‘We’re now at over 250,000 deaths – a quarter of a million deaths. You could well over 300,000 and close to even more than that if we don’t turn things around,’ he told the Washington Post. He encouraged Americans to follow public health measures including social distancing and wearing a mask.
‘The numbers can be stark. They can be sobering in many respects,’ Fauci acknowledged. ‘They can be frightening but we have the tools to prevent that from happening. It’s literally within our power to stop that from happening.’