The numbers represent a best case scenario, assuming full mitigations practices are put in place. With no interventions, experts predicted the number of deaths would have resulted in between 1.5 million and 2.2 million deaths.

“I want every American to be prepared for the tough days that lie ahead,” Trump said, warning for some “painful two weeks” lying ahead. 

The government is now putting in place a program of 30 days to slow the spread, contrary to President Trump’s hope of having the country “open by Easter”. These measures include recommendations to avoid unnecessary travel, public spaces and gathering of more than 10 people.

Trump’s tone today was much more somber, characterizing the coronavirus as “vicious” and not like the flu, and equating it to the plague.

Regardless of these predictions, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that we should still be trying to cut the number down as much as possible.

“We don’t have to accept that,” he said, explaining that the models can change depending on how the situation progresses every day, “Models are as good as the assumptions you put into them.”

President Trump said that there are currently 10,000 ventilators “ready to go” to states in most need. Besides New York, which has been hit the worst so far, states like Michigan and Louisiana are in the radar of the White House, as possible larger outbreaks to come.

He also doubled down on his promise of having an additional 100,000 made available in the next 100 days.

As of now, the US has registered at least at least 183,532 cases of coronavirus, making it the number one country in the world. So far, 3,600 people have died from the disease. 

New York is the most affected state, with over 75,000 cases. In his own press conference earlier today, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the numbers are still going up, even though the number of intubations are down and discharges are up.

“We’re all in search of the apex and the other side of the mountain, but we are still headed up the mountain,” Cuomo said. “In general, I am tired of being behind this virus. You don’t win playing catch up”

According to expert’s predictions, the apex of the outbreak in the state will happen within 14 to 30 days from today, Cuomo said.

Cuomo stressed the importance of anticipating future needs by stockpiling supplies and recruiting healthcare professionals, again calling upon those outside of the state to help fight the outbreak in New York.

 Since the beginning of the week New York City saw the arrival of the USNS Comfort hospital ship and the installation of a 68-bed field hospital in Central Park, which are adding over 1000 beds to help support overflown hospitals in the city.

During the press conference, Cuomo also announced that his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has been tested positive for coronavirus, and is now quarantined in the basement of his house.

“He is gonna be fine,” Cuomo said. “He’s young, in good shape, strong. Not as strong as he thinks. But he will be fine.”

The governor pointed out a lesson to be learned, sharing that his brother had had their mother over to his house a couple of weeks ago, because she was feeling lonely. And although this was done out of love, had he done it more recently, “chances are she would have been exposed.”

The post Death toll in the US could be at least 100,000 appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

“He’s a liar, and he’s manipulating everything,” said Jorge Ayala, a restaurant manager at popular Puerto Rican restaurant La Fonda in East Harlem and a native of Puerto Rico. The majority of Ayala’s family lives on the island, and survived the storm and its aftermath. “No research is perfect, you know? I understand that, but there was serious, good-intentioned research that documented that almost 3,000 people died because of the storm.”

Vincent Ollivier, 67, of Massachusetts and a retired registered nurse, visited the island regularly and still has friends in several cities. He called Trump “ill-informed” for both his comments and his behavior initially following the storm.

“He just made me nauseous,” said Ollivier. “He is a very racist man, and very self-absorbed. His ego knows no bounds.”

Ollivier said the Puerto Rico coroner’s reporting process needs improvement which led to the inaccuracies of the numbers, but he believes the updated death toll report.

In the week following the hurricane, initial government reports put the official death toll at 16. It was later updated to 64. Following an independent study from George Washington University, the death toll was updated to state that 2,975 people died during the storm and in its aftermath. President Trump claimed that the numbers went up “like magic.”

The GWU study found that listed causes of death on death certificates issued following the storm included cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, and septicemia. According to The Wall Street Journal, the researchers concluded that causes of death were misassigned, meaning that deaths that were caused by Maria were not linked to the hurricane.

While the report is only an estimate, with researchers believing 22 percent more people died during the six months after the storm than would have if the island had not been hit, it is consistent with similar estimates from Harvard University and Penn State University.  According to NPR, those most likely to die in the storm’s aftermath were poor people and the elderly.

Most of Luis Santiago’s family lives in the south of Puerto Rico, in the towns of Arroyo and Guayama. Santiago, 45, of San Antonio, Texas, was shocked by the president’s comments, but believes the government has supported Puerto Rico.

“In a way he is right, as the death toll at the beginning was rather low,” said Santiago, “What made the death toll rise was the response time by the government of Puerto Rico. After the hurricane was the most crucial time. Many waited and had no help, day after day, week after week, listening to the radio and waiting for the angels.”

But Santiago does not believe the GWU study’s death toll. He believes that the numbers of dead were actually higher.

“Many officials, including in Guayama, place the death toll at about 4,000 dead,” Santiago said. “Many people were elderly and sick to begin with, but this just pushed it over the edge. Makeshift hospitals were handling suicides, strokes, and breathing issues due to high mold counts. What I see is there should be two death tolls – one from the initial impact, and the other from delayed response times.”

Santiago added that while he thought Trump’s comments were inappropriate, he did not blame the United States for the delayed response to the hurricane.

“What happened in Puerto Rico is a shame, but the real blame lies in the hands of Puerto Rico’s politicians,” he said, citing corruption on the island. “They knew the condition of people on the island, but they did nothing to really prepare. Regardless of what some may think Puerto Ricans viewed the U.S. as a savior. I know as well as my family that if the U.S. did not help more people would have died. The real blame lies with them and not Trump.”

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