COVID-19 Predicted to Kill 200,000 in the US by October, Model Says The model comes from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.
It was once used by the White House to map out the pandemic's trajectory.
Just last week, the model predicted that 30,000 fewer people would die from the virus.
Its newest projections place the number of deaths between 171,000 and 270,000 by October 1.
The IHME says that a reason for the increase is the "relaxation" of social distancing guidelines in individual states.
IHME Director Dr. Christopher Murray adds that underlying factors are increases in contact rates and mobility.
Dr. Christopher Murray, via press briefing Dr. Christopher Murray, via press briefing Murray also explains that the usage of face masks heavily influences the model's projections.
Cases are dropping in hard-hit states such as New York and New Jersey.
They are rising in others, including Florida, Texas, and Arizona.
A month ago, Arizona was reporting around 400 new cases per day.
The state is now seeing over 1,000 cases daily.
