Trump warns 'there will be a lot of death' in coming weeks

(Image credit: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

published 5 April 2020

Fatalities from complications of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus continue to climb in the United States as several major cities are bracing for their caseload apex in the next week.

The U.S. reported 1,344 deaths from the new coronavirus Saturday, the country's highest number of fatalities in one day since the outbreak began. There are now more than 300,000 confirmed infections nationwide. In his daily White House briefing Saturday, President Trump warned the next couple of weeks would only get more difficult. "There will be a lot of death unfortunately," he said.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said the coming weeks were crucial in the fight against the pandemic, urging Americans to adhere to social distancing guidelines. "This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy, but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe, and that means everybody doing the six feet distancing, washing your hands," she said.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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