Trump-favored coronavirus model raises projected death toll to almost 135,000

First responders load a patient into an ambulance in Chelsea, Massachusetts

(Image credit: Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

published 4 May 2020

A model from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, which has been frequently used by the White House, is significantly increasing its forecasted number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States.

The institute said on Monday that after previously forecasting 72,433 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 by August, it will now be raising that projected death toll to almost 135,000, CNN reports.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

This comes as numerous states throughout the country allow some nonessential businesses to reopen and after The New York Times reported on Monday that the Trump administration is privately forecasting the daily U.S. coronavirus death toll will rise to 3,000 by June. This is almost double the current number of about 1,750 deaths per day. President Trump during a town hall on Sunday suggested the COVID-19 death toll could reach 100,000 in the United States. "That's a horrible thing," he said. "We shouldn't lose one person out of this."

Explore More

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox