Trump administration predicts more than 100,000 Americans could die from Covid-19

US President Trump at a press conference at the White House on March 31. Photo: Getty

According to CNN, this is a tough message from a president who for weeks has downplayed the severity of the virus and was skeptical about its potential impact in the US.

In a speech that lasted more than two hours on March 31 (local time), Mr. Trump did not minimize the most terrible public health crisis in decades. Instead, he warned the American people that darker days were ahead.

“I want every American to be prepared for the tough days ahead. We’re going to be in for a very tough two weeks,” Trump said, predicting a spike in deaths over the next two weeks.

He made the remarks at a White House press conference formally re-issuing coronavirus guidelines nationwide, after Mr Trump - faced with dire models showing hundreds of thousands of Americans could die, polls showing support for social distancing and dire scenes at New York hospitals - decided that 30 more days of social distancing were necessary to avoid disaster.

After the leader spoke, senior health officials on Trump's task force released a series of slideshows of models showing how social distancing measures could help prevent millions of potential deaths.

But in a somewhat dire forecast, Dr. Deborah Birx said that even if federal guidelines are followed exactly, there could still be between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths.

Officials quickly disputed the figure, noting that high case counts in New York and New Jersey had pushed the projections higher. But the model also exposed the potential for devastation that an outbreak could cause.

“With numbers like that, we have to be prepared. We’re going to do everything we can to get those numbers down,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, another senior health expert on Trump’s team, told reporters.

The March 31 presentation was the first time the US government has made official projections about how many Americans could die from Covid-19, the virus that has devastated parts of the country and spread to all 50 states.

Mr. Trump has been remarkably calm as he discussed the models, but he has remained adamant that his administration handled the pandemic correctly and has refused to accept responsibility for early testing failures, which he has blamed on previous administrations.

The US guidelines, which include recommendations to avoid crowds and work from home, are expected to last until April 30. Mr Trump has said his decision is necessary to protect millions of lives.

On the same day, Vice President Mike Pence, head of the US Covid-19 task force, said that 100,000 Americans are currently tested for the Corona virus every day.