Covid cases by Inauguration Day could reach 100,000, according to Dr. Ashish Jha, the Dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health.
“Once we get into the spring we easily could be at 450,000 or even 500,000 deaths,” Jha said on “The News with Shepard Smith" about the potential increase of Covid cases by Inauguration Day. “That all depends on us, if we do things that are smart, we could avoid that. If we don’t, we could easily get into the 400,000 to 500,0000 deaths total, which is astronomical.”
The U.S. reported 187,000 new Covid-19 infections and 2,015 deaths on Thursday, the most since May, as the country struggles with more outbreaks as it enters the holiday season, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
“Crowding in hospitals leads to higher fatality rates,” Jha said. “The horrible death numbers that we see now are going to get meaningfully worse in the weeks, and unfortunately, even in the coming months ahead.”
Jha underscored the importance of the next two months in slowing infections for future success.
“We can make a massive difference,” Jha said. “We can make it easier to get the vaccine, we can save a lot of lives, and we can prevent a lot of hospitals from getting overwhelmed.”
Thanksgiving holiday travel
Even for Thanksgiving, health experts warn Americans to avoid traveling. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urged them to not travel for the Thanksgiving holiday to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Dr. Henry Walke, the CDC’s Covid-19 incident manager, explained there is “no more important time than now for each and every American to redouble our efforts to watch our distance, wash our hands and, most importantly, wear a mask.”
“CDC is recommending against travel during the Thanksgiving period,” he said. “For Americans who decide to travel, CDC recommends doing so as safely as possible by following the same recommendations for everyday living.”
Walke said that the CDC worries “about the transportation hubs.” He added that the public may not be able to observe social distancing while waiting in line, for example, when they use buses and planes.
“We’re alarmed,” Walke stressed, saying that the country has experienced an “exponential increase” in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. “One of our concerns is that as people over the holiday season get together, they may actually be bringing infections with them to that small gathering and not even know it.”
Moreover, he revealed that 30% to 40% of the spread of the virus is caused by people without symptoms.
“From an individual household level, what’s at stake is basically increased chance of one of your loved ones becoming sick and then hospitalized and dying,” Walke said. “We certainly don’t want to see that happen. These times are tough. It’s been a long outbreak.”
Dr. Erin Sauber-Schatz, the CDC’s community intervention, and critical population taskforce lead, reiterated that they are “asking people to be flexible,” saying that those who are going to the homes of at-risk people must be careful.
The CDC’s “strong recommendation” for Thanksgiving holiday travel urges people to check infection rates in areas where participants of the dinner live, limit the number of attendees, increase ventilation, observe physical distancing, wear a mask, and avoid potluck-style gatherings.
Meanwhile, airline executives said on Thursday that airline bookings have begun to drop ahead of Thanksgiving in the U.S.
“Certainly with the increase in infection rates really throughout the country we’ve seen a dampening of demand,” American Airlines President Robert Isom told the audience of Skift Aviation Forum. “It’s really too soon to tell how deep and how long there may be a depressed environment but we’ve seen some weakening of bookings.”
