In the following month, the death toll of COVID-19 in the United States could exceed half a million, warned a candidate for President-elect Joe Biden.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, chosen by Biden to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said there will be “dark weeks ahead” in the pandemic after the new government takes office.
“In mid-February, we expect half a million deaths in this country,” Walensky told CBS anchor Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
She added that Americans “have not yet seen the ramifications of what happened to vacation travel,” which could mean more hospitalizations and deaths.
The US on Monday was close to 400,000 virus-related deaths since the pandemic began.
Biden pledged to deliver 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the first 100 days of his presidency as one of his top priorities.
“We looked closely and are confident that we have enough vaccine for the 100 million doses in the next 100 days,” said Walensky.
“This is what the president-elect has promised. It will be a heavy lift, but we are able to do that. “