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appalachiablue

(41,056 posts)
Fri Oct 16, 2020, 09:09 PM Oct 2020

WH Embraces 'Herd Immunity,' Covid Deaths Predicted To Spike 80% By February, UW School of Medicine

- 'As White House Embraces Dangerous 'Herd Immunity' Strategy, Covid-19 Deaths Predicted to Spike 80% in US by February.'- "This is the time when we could be entering one of the worst periods of our epidemic and one of our worst periods in modern American public health. I'm very worried for the nation. - Dr. Peter Hotez." Jake Johnson, Common Dreams, Oct. 16, 2020.

As the Trump administration ignores the pleas of its own health experts and embraces a "herd immunity" strategy that scientists have condemned as fringe and dangerous, researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine are predicting an 80% spike in U.S. coronavirus deaths by February as cases continue to rise across the nation.

A model designed by experts at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation forecasts that the U.S. coronavirus death toll will soar from around 217,000 at present to 389,087 fatalities by February 1. Under the model's best-case scenario—in which all Americans adhere to mask guidelines—the U.S. death toll is predicted to rise to 314,000 by the beginning of February. If mask-wearing requirements are eased, the model predicts total U.S. deaths from the pandemic could rise to 477,000.

We expect deaths to stop declining and begin increasing in the next one to two weeks," the institute's researchers told CNN. "The winter surge appears to have begun somewhat later than the surge in Europe. Daily deaths will reach over 2,000 a day in January even with many states reimposing mandates before the end of the year." The alarming projection—which runs directly counter to President Donald Trump's repeated insistence that the pandemic is fading away—came as the U.S. reported more than 64,000 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, the highest single-day total since late July.

As the Washington Post reported Thursday, "In 44 states and the District of Columbia, caseloads are higher than they were one month ago, and many of the new infections are being reported in rural areas with limited hospital capacity." The upward trend of new infections is "a very ominous sign," Dr. Peter Hotez, professor and dean of tropical medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN. "This is the time when we could be entering one of the worst periods of our epidemic and one of our worst periods in modern American public health. I'm very worried for the nation."...

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/16/white-house-embraces-dangerous-herd-immunity-strategy-covid-19-deaths-predicted



- Des Moines, Iowa: a billboard points the way to a campaign rally hosted by President Trump at Des Moines International Airport, Oct. 14, 2020 in Des Moines, Iowa.

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WH Embraces 'Herd Immunity,' Covid Deaths Predicted To Spike 80% By February, UW School of Medicine (Original Post) appalachiablue Oct 2020 OP
I just posted this stunning chart on another OP.. asiliveandbreathe Oct 2020 #1
That's amazing, a billboard in every state is right appalachiablue Oct 2020 #2
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