“I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead,” a grave-faced Donald Trump told the nation on Tuesday afternoon. “This is going to be a very, very painful two weeks.”
How painful? The number of deaths, based on current projections, is between 100,000 and 200,000.
Mr Trump tried to frame this news as best he could, noting that the projections for US casualties if the government had done nothing were in the millions.
“A lot of people were saying ‘think of it as the flu’, but it’s not the flu,” he said. “It’s vicious.”
Of course, it was just a week ago the president himself was making exactly such comparisons, noting that the early fatality numbers were much less than those from the flu or even automobile accidents.
Now, however, the seriousness of the situation has hit home. He spoke of checking in on a friend who was in the hospital with the virus – “a little older, and he’s heavy, but he’s a tough person” – only to find out he was now in a coma.
“I spoke to some of my friends, and they can’t believe what they’re seeing,” he said.
“No-one is denying that we’re going through a very, very difficult time,” said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “That’s what it is.”
The president tried to frame this news as best he could, noting that the projections for US casualties if the government had done nothing were in the millions.
“A lot of people were saying think of it as the flu, but it’s not the flu,” he said. “It’s vicious.”
Dr. Deborah Birx said that even if the federal guidelines are followed precisely, between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths could still occur — a number that well surpasses the American death toll in the Vietnam War.
Officials were quick to say they didn’t accept that figure as predetermined, and noted that high case counts in New York and New Jersey were pulling the projections higher. But the model laid bare the potential devastation the outbreak could inflict.
