CDC Projects Nearly 25% Increase In U.S. Covid-19 Deaths In Next Three Weeks
Topline
Up to a further 92,000 Americans are projected to die from Covid-19 in the next three weeks, according to an ensemble forecast put together by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost a troubling 25% increase in total deaths from the virus as experts warn things will get worse before they get better.
The CDC projects a nearly 25% increase in U.S. coronavirus deaths in the next three weeks.
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Key Facts
The national ensemble forecast, an aggregate of a number of independently developed forecasts intended to boost predictive power, projects up to 477,000 total Covid-19 deaths reported across the U.S. by February 6, an increase of over 90,000 in three weeks.
Widespread vaccination, which could help turn the tide against the virus, has failed to gain momentum and the U.S. is way behind its inoculation targets — only around a third of vaccine doses distributed have been administered.
Experts have warned that things will likely get worse before they get better, and the first few weeks of 2021 have been the deadliest of the pandemic yet with numerous days featuring record-breaking highs for recorded deaths, new cases and hospitalizations.
More than 130,000 people are currently hospitalized for Covid-19 related treatment across the U.S., according to the Covid Tracking Project, although those figures appear to be tapering off.
Roughly two people died from Covid-19 every minute in the first week of the year and the seven days since the Capitol attack have been the deadliest of the entire pandemic.
Key Background
The U.S. has been the country hardest hit by the pandemic. Hospitals across the country are now stretched to breaking point — as of early January, hospitals in LA were reportedly rationing oxygen and many U.S. cities are running out of beds. New, potentially more infectious, variants of Covid-19 are now contributing to worries that virus cases will continue to surge beyond control and tax hospitals and services further, as is happening in the U.K.. The British variant has already been detected in a number of states and Ohio researchers discovered two new strains that are believed to have originated in the U.S. that could possibly hamper containment efforts.
Big Number
384,784. That’s how many people have died from Covid-19 in the U.S. since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins university. More than 23 million people have contracted the disease.
Further Reading
Seven Days Since Capitol Attack Have Been Deadliest Of Covid Pandemic (Forbes)
Two New Coronavirus Strains Originated In U.S., Scientists Report (Forbes)
Two People Have Died From Covid-19 In Every Minute Of 2021 (Forbes)