Dr. Scott Gottlieb said US could reach 4000 Deaths per day in January 2021

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On Sunday, the former commissioner of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), Dr. Scott Gottlieb has warned that it is likely the pandemic will continue to worsen in the coming weeks as infections and deaths from the coronavirus surging nationwide. He also predicted the U.S could reach nearly 4,000 deaths per day in January 2021. Gottlieb said, “As bad as things are right now, they’re going to get a lot worse. I think by the end of the year we’ll be at about 300,000 deaths and by the end of January, we could be pushing 400,000 deaths. We’re going to see consistently probably 2,000 deaths per day and as we get into January toward the peak, we’re going to see over 3,000 deaths per day, unfortunately, and maybe get close to 4,000 deaths per day. So this is going to get a lot worse before it starts to resolve”.

There have been nearly 14.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and more than 281,000 deaths on Sunday. Public health officials have also warned the American people should brace for a devastating winter. The Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Robert Redfield predicted on Wednesday that the number of deaths could rise to 450,000 by February 2021. Gottlieb conceded there is a worsening situation around the country. He said the pandemic will worsen in the next 4 to 6 weeks, with a peak in deaths and hospitalizations coming around mid-January. Gottlieb said, “There’s a grim future right now ahead of us in the next six weeks. People really need to protect themselves”.

Point to be noted that the spike in coronavirus infections and deaths comes as 2 pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and Moderna are awaiting approval from the FDA for their COVID-19 vaccines after studies showed their shots offered strong protection against the virus. Trump administration’s initiative focused on vaccine development and distribution. Members of Operation Warp Speed expect the first shipments of Pfizer’s vaccine to be released in mid-December if the FDA approves an emergency use authorization. It is noteworthy that Pfizer and Moderna are expected to provide roughly 40 million doses of their vaccines by the end of the year, which would immunize up to 20 million people with two doses. Gottlieb said he would be trying to push out as much vaccine as possible.