Coronavirus: 200,000 people expected to die from virus before election day

Revised death toll prediction comes as Covid-19 surges in some states

The coronavirus could claim 200,000 American lives prior to November’s presidential election, say analysts.

That prediction comes as the United States surpassed three million cases, with more than 130,000 lives lost, on Wednesday.

Washington University’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) warned that some 80,000 more Americans could die within the next four months thanks to increased virus transmission.

That, according to the IHME, would see almost 210,000 American lives lost when people vote on 3 November.

“Many states are expected to experience significant increases in cases and deaths in September and October,” IHME director Christopher Murray told Politico.

The IHME director added that there would be no “second wave” in the US, whilst some 50,000 people contract the virus each day.

Tuesday meanwhile saw more than 60,000 Americans contract Covid-19, surpassing the 55,220 high last Thursday.

“It’s a much less meaningful distinction to talk about a first and second wave because, at least in our model, it seems unlikely we will get to zero levels,” added Mr Murray.

Those comments come less than a month after the Trump administration’s top diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, warned that the US was still in a first wave of the pandemic.

“People keep talking about a second wave,” he said in an interview last month. “We’re still in a first wave.”

The IHME added on Tuesday that increased virus transmission and an apparent resistance among authorities to impose new lockdowns had impacted on its model.

Mr Murray added that the pandemic could accelerate when the weather turns later this year, in combination with schools and universities reopening.

That comes as US president Donald Trump and vice president Mike Pence called on Wednesday to reopen schools in August and September.

House Education and Labour Committee chairman Bobby Scott said those plans were “irresponsible and dangerous”.