Trump: "If US COVID-19 Deaths Are Kept Under 100,000, It Would Be Very Well Done"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] "If the death toll from the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is around 100,000, it would be a very good job."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 29th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump stated this during a press conference held at the White House Rose Garden. He said, "I was asked about the models we have been following (regarding death toll trends), and some of them predict that 2.2 million people could die," adding, "If we can keep this number to around 100,000 or between 100,000 and 200,000, then we have all done a very good job."

President Trump made this remark while introducing a model result that suggested if the response had been improvised, the death toll in the U.S. could exceed 2.2 million.

Earlier, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the U.S. National Institutes of Health, warned in an interview with CNN that "millions of people in the U.S. could be infected with COVID-19, and the death toll could reach 100,000 to 200,000."

On the same day, President Trump held a press briefing announcing the extension of social distancing measures in the U.S. for another month until next month. Originally, President Trump had stated that economic activities in the U.S. would normalize starting from the 12th of next month, but he stepped back.

In the U.S., there had been warnings that if economic activities resumed according to the schedule proposed by President Trump, confirmed cases could surge.

Additionally, President Trump said, "Deaths could peak within the next two weeks," and "We will be on a good recovery path by June 1."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.