CDC forecasts up to 205k Covid-19 deaths in US by Sep 12

Washington, Aug 22 The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has forecast up to 205,000 coronavirus deaths in the country by September 12.

The new national ensemble forecast issued on Friday predicted that 3,700 to 9,600 new Covid-19 deaths will be reported during the week ending September 12, and that 187,000 to 205,000 overall fatalities will be reported by that date, reports Xinhua news agency.

"State- and territory-level ensemble forecasts predict that the number of reported new deaths per week will likely increase over the next four weeks in Minnesota and may decrease in 13 jurisdictions," said the CDC projection.

The states with the highest likelihood of a decrease over the next four weeks include Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina, according to the CDC.

On Saturday, the overall number of coronavirus cases in the US stood at 5,621,035, while the deaths have increased to 175,350, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

Both tallies account for the highest number of cases and deaths in the world.

( With inputs from IANS )