President Trump has decided to extend the strategy of social distancing to prevent more deaths and infections from the COVID-19 pandemic after a dire prediction from one of his health officials.
The new worst case scenario has Trump and his team adjusting their timeline after immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci announced that new research shows 100,000 to 200,000 people could die from the coronavirus pandemic right here in the United States.
"We're going to have millions of cases. But I just don't think we really need to make a projection when it's such a moving target that you can so easily be wrong and mislead people," Fauci told CNN over the weekend.
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Those predictions are based on new models that the coronavirus task force has been studying for days. The model's dire numbers caused the president to step back from his hopes of ending the coronavirus guidelines by Easter.
"Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won," President Trump said. "Therefore we will be extending the guidelines to April 30 to slow the spread."
New York City is still the US epicenter for the virus, but health officials are closely watching the dramatic rise of cases in Louisiana. More than 3,000 people are infected there with at least 137 deaths.
President Trump has recommended a travel advisory for the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
All of this is taking a huge toll on the US economy. With congressional passage of a $2 trillion relief bill, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says help is on the way for American workers and businesses.
"We'll also have direct deposit into people's accounts within three weeks so they have checks. These are bridge checks. We have enhanced unemployment insurance that we're working with the states," Mnuchin told Fox News.
Also, help is coming for US hospitals as more protective gear and respirators will soon be on the way.
And Christian groups are responding to help. Samaritan’s Purse has deployed its emergency field hospital to New York, with a team of doctors, nurses and lab staff.
Samaritan's Purse official Brock Kreitzburg told CBN News, "We're going to set it up in Central Park. And that hospital consists of 68 beds, so that is 60 and 8 ICU beds."
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