Dr. Anthony Fauci gave a grim outlook on the coronavirus outbreak Sunday, saying the country will have “millions” of coronavirus cases and that as many as 200,000 people could die.
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, gave the prediction on CNN.
“Whenever the models come in, they give a worst-case scenario and a best-case scenario. Generally, the reality is somewhere in the middle. I’ve never seen a model of the diseases that I’ve dealt with where the worst case actually came out. They always overshoot,” Fauci, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union.
“I mean, looking at what we’re seeing now, you know, I would say between 100 and 200,000 (deaths). But I don’t want to be held to that,” Fauci added, saying the U.S. is going to have “millions of cases.”
Fauci’s comments come after a tough weekend that saw the number of cases soar to over 150,000 citizens. The death toll has surpassed 2,400 in the country.
President Trump, who said he wanted to reopen the economy by Easter, has since backtracked from that as he realizes the gravity of the situation. On Sunday, Trump said he would extend nationwide social distancing guidelines for another 30 days.
Fauci has been fighting more than the outbreak. Last week, he called Trump’s plan to open the country by Easter an “aspirational projection.” That comment led to far-right fans of Trump to target Fauci’s claims.
Even when pressed about Trump’s incorrect statements about the disease, Fauci responded “I can’t jump in front of the microphone and push him down. OK, he said it. Let’s try and get it corrected for the next time.”
Fauci and other experts across the country believe the crisis will get worse before it improves. The recent uptick in cases has caused severe supply shortages for hospitals around the country, especially in New York. There’s a significant shortage of medical equipment and beds prompting the city to turn an area of Central Park into a makeshift hospital.
The coronavirus outbreak has affected every industry in the U.S., from food to the prison population and Native American reservations.