• April 29, 2020
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US coronavirus cases top 1 million, deaths expected to surge

The United States now has over a million confirmed cases of the fatal viral disease COVID-19. Data from Johns Hopkins University show that the US reached this grim milestone yesterday, 28 April. At least 58,356 have died from the respiratory virus.

The sombre update comes as several states gear up to reopen the economy, a move many health experts disagree with and advise against. These states include Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Missouri, Texas and Wisconsin.

At least seven models from various researchers and experts predict that COVID-19 deaths in the US will continue to rise, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). How severe the actual situation will pan out ultimately depends on how much Americans reduce physical contact. “Models that do not incorporate as strong contact reductions… suggest that total deaths may continue to rise quickly,” explained the CDC.

The battle against the virus is far from over in the world’s biggest economy. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci is almost certain that COVID-19 will remain a threat until winter or the last quarter of the year. “It’s almost certain that it will come back, because the virus is so transmissible and it’s globally spread,” said Fauci.

“When it does, how we handle it will determine our fate. If we are unsuccessful or prematurely try to open up and we have additional outbreaks that are out of control, it could be much more than that; it could be a rebound to get us right back in the same boat that we were [in] a few weeks ago,” he added.