US coronavirus death toll can surge to 200,000, says lead virus expert
'Too premature' to discuss a fourth Covid vaccine dose, says Fauci
The leading US government infectious disease expertDrAnthonyFaucioffered a grim prediction on Sunday: the coronavirus could kill as many as 200,000 Americans.
''I mean, looking at what we’re seeing now, I would say between 100,000 and 200,000 … deaths,''Fauci said.
Heplayed down worst-case predictions of one million or more deaths, instead offering a rough estimate of 100,000 to 200,000 deaths and "millions of cases."
Though he quickly added, "I don't want to be held to that ... It's such a moving target that you can so easily be wrong and mislead people."
COVID-19 has hit the US with explosive force in recent weeks, following a path seen earlier in parts of Asia and Europe.
It took a month for the US to move from its first confirmed death, on February 29, to its 1,000 deaths.
But in two days this week that number doubled, to nearly 2,200 on Sunday. The case total of 142,356, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University, is the world's highest.
US President Donald Trump has extended the social distancing guidelines till April 30.