As some researchers say deaths could rise significantly in coming weeks, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States has topped 1 million and the deaths toll has surpassed the total of US troop fatalities during the Vietnam War.
As of Tuesday evening, there are more than 1,012,000 people in the United States who have or have had the virus, according to a tally from health officials by Johns Hopkins University. At least 58,356 people have died.
A total of 58,220 Americans died during the war in Vietnam, where fighting lasted more than 10 years.
The first known US coronavirus-related fatality was February 6, less than three months ago.
The milestones come at a time when seven models anticipate a rise in coronavirus cases that will depend on how much “contact reduction” Americans practice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
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Models that factor in strong contact reduction suggest deaths will continue to occur, but will “slow substantially over the next four weeks,” the CDC says. “Conversely, models that do not incorporate as strong contact reductions … suggest that total deaths may continue to rise quickly.”
One model cited by the White House coronavirus task force has upped its predicted death toll, projecting 74,000 people in the country will lose their lives to the virus by August. That is almost 7,000 more deaths than a model last week.
The projection was adjusted because of longer peaks in some states and signs that people are b