Coronavirus US: CDC predicts 30,000 more deaths in three weeks

Authorities in the United States have made a grim prediction about how many people will die from the virus in the next three weeks.

The most recent forecast on predicted deaths in the US paints a grim picture of the coming weeks, with up to 30,000 more COVID-19-related fatalities predicted by August 8.

It’s predicted “there will likely be between 150,000 and 170,000 total reported COVID-19 deaths by August 8th” according to the most recent forecast of coronavirus-related deaths from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The US has already reported more than 140,000 deaths from coronavirus, but to reach the number predicted by the CDC means another 10,000 to 30,000 deaths will occur in just three weeks.

The CDC’s report also predicts the total number of deaths over the coming four weeks will “likely exceed the number reported over the last four weeks”.

The states likely to suffer the largest number of deaths are Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, the Virgin Islands, and West Virginia.

The CDC’s advice comes from 24 individual forecasts across the US, including Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of California.

RELATED: Read the latest coronavirus updates

RELATED: Coronavirus US: United States hits new record with more than 70,000 new cases

Data gathered by the CDC suggests the number of deaths will rise in the next three weeks up to between 150,000 to 170,000.

RELATED: Follow our live coronavirus coverage

RELATED: Key face mask questions answered

US President Donald Trump has defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Picture: Jim Watson/AFP

RELATED: Stupid Aussies rise up against face masks

RELATED: Coronavirus US: Pandemic prompts most unstable era in US history

More than 3.76 million people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the US, as numerous states battle with a surging number of infections.

In Florida, the third most populous state in the US, 49 hospitals have run out of ICU beds as authorities struggle with a rising number of cases. The Miami-Dade County’s Intensive Care Units are currently operating at 127 per cent of their capacity, according to CNN.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump defended his handling of the coronavirus crisis in the country, claiming the US had “one of the lowest mortality rates in the world”.

Mr Trump was challenged by his interviewer Chris Wallace on Fox News, who said it was “not true”. The US has the eighth-worst fatality rate among reported coronavirus cases in the world, according to data on the countries most affected by the coronavirus compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Last week, 19 out of 50 US states set daily records for the number of new coronavirus infections tallied.