US COVID-19 DEATH TOLL SURPASSES 100,000

The US surpassed a deadly milestone on Wednesday, May 28, 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic death toll surpassed 100,000, which Carla K. Johnson, Susan Haigh and Lisa Marie Pane of the Associated Press (AP) consider as an “undercount” that also breached the combined death tolls for the Vietnam and Korean wars.

US President Donald Trump and his son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner claimed that a death toll of 100,000 would still be a sterling accomplishment despite the topsy-turvy implementation of programs meant to combat the pandemic. “The experience of other countries shows that death at that scale was preventable,” said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington. “To some extent, the US suffers from having a slow start and inconsistent approach. We might have seen a different trajectory if different policies were put into place earlier and more forcefully suppressed the virus through lots of testing, contact tracing and policies to support isolation and quarantine of people at risk.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, issued a stern warning after watching video of Memorial Day crowds gathered at a pool party in Missouri. “We have a situation in which you see that type of crowding with no mask and people interacting. That’s not prudent, and that’s inviting a situation that could get out of control,” he said during an interview Wednesday on CNN. “Don’t start leapfrogging some of the recommendations in the guidelines because that’s really tempting fate and asking for trouble.”

Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 5.6 million people and killed over 350,000, with the U.S. having the most confirmed cases and deaths by far, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Europe has recorded about 170,000 deaths, while the US reached more than 100,000 in less than four months. #COVID19