Experts Predict 200,000 Covid Deaths in U.S. by September
Although the reopening of the economy is recommended when positive cases are less than 5% of the people tested continuously for 14 days, Trump ignored these health guidelines and ordered the states to resume their business.
By Rakesh Raman
During the initial months of coronavirus (Covid-19) in the U.S., President Donald Trump had ignored the disease with some baseless rhetoric that the virus will disappear without taking any preventive steps.
In January and February, he said there were only a few Covid cases which will vanish miraculously. As Trump kept ignoring the impact of infection and did not arrange test and hospital facilities, today the U.S. is the worst affected nation with over 7 million cases and 115,000 deaths.
Experts predict that the death toll may cross 200,000 by September. Ashish Jha, the head of Harvard’s Global Health Institute, told CNN on Wednesday (June 10) that without drastic action, the number of U.S. deaths will increase dramatically.
The main reason for increasing number of deaths is believed to be relaxed restrictions that Trump dictated without taking the advice of health experts who have been warning against the relaxations.
While the states are willy-nilly opening for business, Trump said on June 10 that the virus is almost over. Experts, however, disagree. Jha said that even after killing 200,000 Americans by September, the virus will not end and will keep infecting more people.
More deaths will also jeopardize Trump’s chances of winning the November election. In order to divert people’s attention from the Covid infection, Trump has been making obnoxious statements about the protests in Minneapolis where protesters are angry over the killing of George Floyd, an African American man whose death in police custody was captured on video.
Actually, Trump is the only person responsible for Covid deaths in the U.S., as with his negligence he has completely failed to stop the spread of the virus. Experts also predict a second wave of coronavirus in the U.S. and other parts of the world after July, and if the governments are not prepared to tackle the upcoming contagion, the virus will wreak more havoc.
Although the reopening of the economy is recommended when positive cases are less than 5% of the people tested continuously for 14 days, Trump ignored these health guidelines and ordered the states to resume their business.
Jha suggested that more deaths can be avoided by ramping up testing and contact tracing, obeying social distancing norms strictly, and using the masks.
While several U.S. states have seen coronavirus cases jump in recent days, health experts including Jha are concerned over the relaxing of restrictions by Trump without using any scientific evidence, which, in fact, suggests a complete lockdown in the U.S.
As Trump is forcing the states to reopen, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona each recorded a 40% jump in the number of Covid cases for the week ended Sunday, June 7. Florida and Arkansas are among the emerging infection hotspots.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He also creates and publishes a number of digital publications and research reports on different subjects. These publications include the “Covid Health Bulletin” that covers global coronavirus news and views.
