Coronavirus deaths in the US could reach 300,000 by the start of December, but according to a new model by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at least 70,000 lives can be saved in that time if only more Americans start wearing face masks. The director of IHME Dr. Christopher Murray said that it’s rare that something so inexpensive, so simple and so easy for the people to participate in can have such an amazing impact all over the world.
Professor of Medicine at the Vanderbilt University Dr. William Schaffner said that number of projected deaths is really sad but 70,000 of those people could be saved if all the people wear face masks every time they go outside. He further said that this virus is not going anywhere, it will be with us and we have to fight it and the simplest thing that people can do is to wear a face mask and save lives.
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At least 39 states including Puerto Rico and Washington DC have face masks requirement. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidelines urging people to use masks that do not have valves or vents. The valve keeps people cooler but it also allows respiratory droplets to escape and infect others.
The number of cases in the US is reaching 5 million and the virus is now moving into younger people, with cases skyrocketing among teens, children, and young adults. Early in the pandemic, health experts believed that older people were more at risk, but according to new data by WHO most cases are between the ages of 25 and 64. The cases have gone up six times in the teens and young adults, and in babies and very young children, the cases have increased by seven times, according to WHO.
The increase in the rate of cases might be a result of shifting demographics of hotspots, broader testing, and greater detection of milder cases but it can also be due to risky behavior of the public after the social and public health measures were eased. Professor at UCLA’s Department of Epidemiology Anne Rimoin said on Friday that in 29 states testing rate is down, and there is no perfect test available as there are too many false negatives. She further said testing needs to be expanded and not contracted, and the positivity rates should be kept an eye on.
Human Services Secretary of New Mexico, where one in every five cases is among people aged between 20 and 29, Dr. David Scrase urged people not to have large gatherings. He said that just do the cooking with your housemates and don’t get a lot of people together as there will be more time to do that after the pandemic ends.
Governor of Florida Ron Desantis believes the schools shall be reopened as the reward is worth more than the risk. As his children are not old enough for school sports, he said if they were old enough he would love for them to bring something back to his house. He further said that the risk is worth to be taken as it would be better than deprive the children of such an opportunity.