COVID-19 deaths expected to rise to 539,000 in US by April: Study

The number of people killed by COVID-19 could nearly double in the United States to 539,000 deaths by April 1, according to a new report.

More than 279,000 people in the US have already died from the coronavirus and more than 14.3 million have been infected, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

With new cases and hospitalizations surging across the country, the US is projected to witness a cumulative 539,000 deaths by April 1, accruing to a December 4 report published by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine.

The grim new forecast comes despite a nationwide vaccine rollout, health researchers warned.

Researchers said that a vaccine rollout would only save 9,000 lives before the end of March and a rapid rollout targeting high-risk individuals could prevent 14,000 more deaths.

First US delivery of COVID-19 vaccine will leave out high-risk workers

The US government’s first shipment of coronavirus vaccine doses will fall far short of protecting high priority groups such as healthcare workers, a Reuters analysis has found.

“Mass scale-up of vaccination in 2021 means we have a path back to normal life, but there are still a few rough months ahead,” IHME Director Christopher Murray said in a statement.

“We must be vigilant in protecting ourselves at least through April, when, as our projections indicate, vaccines will begin to have an impact,” he added.

The US is entering a brutal new phase of the pandemic as infections spike nationwide and hospitals struggle to deal with a record number of patients since the start of the outbreak.

Thursday marked the deadliest day in the US since the start of the pandemic, with more than 3,100 deaths recorded, according to Johns Hopkins data. On Friday, the country reported 227,800 new cases, a record since the outbreak began.

The pandemic takes a weekly average of more than 2,000 lives every day in the US.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new coronavirus guidelines, calling for “universal face mask use” in all outdoor activities.

“Compelling evidence now supports the benefits of cloth face masks for both source control (to protect others) and, to a lesser extent, protection of the wearer,” the CDC report states.

The IMHE model also predicts that increasing the use of masks to 95 percent could save up to 66,000 lives by April 1. Accordingly, researchers called on states to implement mandates to contain the spread of the virus.

US COVID-19 hospitalizations top 100,000 as California readies new restrictions

The United States topped 14 million known COVID-19 infections on Thursday with over 100,000 patients hospitalized for the first time as California imposed stay-at-home orders.

“Especially in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s crucial for governments to impose or re-impose mandates that limit gatherings and require masks,” Murray said. “Where the winter surge is driving spikes in infections, there will be many people who can still become infected and possibly die before the vaccine is fully rolled out.

President Donald Trump has faced blistering criticism at home and abroad over his erratic handling of the virus, whose threat he repeatedly downplayed especially during the early stages of the pandemic. 

President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat who defeated Trump in the November election, has pledged to enact mask mandates upon taking office on January 20.

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