Coronavirus: American death toll tops 100,000

More than 100,000 people in the US have died from the new coronavirus, as reopenings across the country accelerated.

A patient is wheeled into New York’s Maimonides Medical Centre. Picture: AFP

More than 100,000 people in the US have died from coronavirus, as reopenings across the country accelera­te and rising infections in Brazil, Peru and Chile placed the Americas firmly at the centre of the pandemic.

The milestone comes four months after the contagion was first reported in the US and six weeks after the country passed Italy as the country with the highest reported death toll.

The 100,442 US deaths, which appear to be slowing, represent 28 per cent of 355,701 confirmed deaths globall­y, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows.

Experts say official totals likely understate the extent of the pandemic, in part because of limited and differing testing capabilities in the US and around the world.

Estimates for the US death toll have varied, and some modellers say it is difficult to make projections beyond a few weeks.

As of Tuesday, the Reich Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst estimated the US would likely reach 117,000-130,000 deaths by June 20, a forecast based on projections from multiple model­ling groups.

The White House coronavirus taskforce said on March 31 that 100,000-240,000 US deaths were possible, if preventive measures were taken. The model, based on a combination of models worldwide, estimated that 1.5 million to 2.2 million people would die without any intervention.

Over the past six weeks, US President Donald Trump has estim­ated the death toll to be anywhere from 60,000-100,000.

Models can shift based on new information as public behaviours change and scientists’ understanding of the virus evolves, though some have proven more reliable than others.

Fatalities are a lagging indic­at­o­r, scientists say, as illnesses are often lengthy. Global confirmed cases of COVID-19 total more than 5.69 million, including 1.69 million in the US, according to Johns Hopkins data.

 

As the number of new confirme­d cases has slowed in some parts of the US, Europe and Asia, a surge in infections in South America is causing alarm.

Brazil, where 25,598 people had died as of Wednesday, will pass France and Spain in its COVID-19 death toll within days to trail only the US, Britain and Italy.

Carissa Etienne, director of the Washington-based Pan American Health Organisation, said the Americas had become the new centre of the pandemic, with more than 2.4 million cases and more than 143,000 deaths.

“We are concerned that the number of new cases reported last week in Brazil was the highest for a seven-day period since the outbreak began. Both Peru and Chile are also reporting a high incid­ence,” she said, warning it wasn’t the time to relax restrictions or scale back preventive strategies.

In the US, reopening plans are moving forward. Washington mayor Muriel Bowser said the city’s stay-at-home order would be lifted on Friday.

The Wall Street Journal