Immune To COVID? New Study Suggests Why

After repeatedly saying the new coronavirus could kill 50,000 to 65,000 Americans, President Donald Trump now says the pandemic's toll in the U.S. could be as high as 100,000.

"Look, we’re going to lose anywhere from 75,000, 80,000 to 100,000 people; that’s a horrible thing," Trump said Sunday night said at a Fox News virtual town hall from the Lincoln Memorial.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reports the Trump administration is privately projecting the number of coronavirus deaths will rise to about 3,000 a day on June 1. That's almost twice as many as the current level of about 1,750 daily deaths. The projections are based on modeling by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and compiled in chart form by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Times reports. The forecast expects 200,000 new cases each day by the end of the month, up from about 25,000 cases now.

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"This is not a White House document nor has it been presented to the Coronavirus Task Force or gone through interagency vetting," White House spokesperson Judd Deere said in the statement.

"This data is not reflective of any of the modeling done by the task force or data that the task force has analyzed. ... The health of the American people remains President Trump’s top priority and that will continue as we monitor the efforts by states to ease restrictions."

The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths Monday in the U.S. was more than 68,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

At the town hall, Trump also sought to reassure Americans the country could safely reopen the economy without risking life.

"A lot of people want to go back," Trump said. "You see demonstrations all over the country – and those are meaningful demonstrations. ... Now we have to get it open. We have to get it open safely, but we have to get it open as quickly as possible."

More than 30 states eased social distancing restrictions over the weekend.

Pandemic experts, however, still insist it's too early to reopen the country.

"You're making a big mistake. It's going to cost lives," Dr. Irwin Redlener, a pediatrician and disaster preparedness specialist at Columbia University Medical Center, told CNN.

In a report sent to governors, Redlener and Joseph Fair, a senior fellow in pandemic policy at Texas A&M University, said no state or city should reduce restrictions until coronavirus infections have been steadily decreasing for 10 days to two weeks and not until enough tests are available to assess just how many people really are infected.

More than 1.1 million people in the U.S. have confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins. Globally, the number of infections has climbed above 3.5 million. Worldwide, the death toll surpassed 250,000 on Monday afternoon.

Latest Developments

United States:

-California Gov. Gavin Newsom said "low risk" businesses, such as retailers, that meet criteria and have curbside pickup could be allowed to reopen as early as the end of this week. His modified stay-at-home order guidelines will come out on Thursday.

-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam extended his executive order mandating that some nonessential businesses close until May 15. He said more time is needed before restrictions can be eased.

-Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner said the remainder of this school year's classes will remain online. The district's 2020-2021 academic year will begin Aug. 18, but it's unclear how classes will be held. Online summer classes begin in mid-June and will focus on students who are having the greatest struggles with studying, KNX Radio reported.

-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York listed seven requirements, including a decline in hospitalizations and virus-related hospital deaths and an increase in testing, that each of the state’s 10 regions would need to meet before restrictions meant to slow the virus’s spread could be eased. Some regions will probably meet those thresholds a lot sooner than others, Cuomo said.

-Costco announced each member may purchase only a total of three items among beef, pork and poultry products because of shortages caused by meat packing plants closing.

-New Jersey's Gov. Phil Murphy announced all state schools will remain closed for in-person instruction for the rest of the school year.

-Carnival Corporation said it plans to resume cruises on eight ships from Galveston, Texas, Port Canaveral, Florida, and Miami on Aug. 1. All North American cruises from June 27 to July 31 are canceled, the company said in a news release. Other than the cruises from Galveston, Port Canaveral and Miami, all North American and Australian homeport cruises will be canceled through Aug. 31, the company said. Congress has launched an investigation of Carnival's handling of the coronavirus outbreak, asking it to turn over internal communications related to the pandemic.

-Five days after reopening a popular park, officials in Miami Beach, Florida, closed South Pointe Park again because thousands of people failed to wear face masks, the Miami Herald reported. "The social distancing is serious and it’s too early to disregard it," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said. "There is a lot of frustration but that can’t be the organizing principle of what we do." Miami Beach Police issued more than 7,300 warnings over the weekend for failure to wear a face covering.

-U.S. Senators return to work today at the Capitol, mostly for committee meetings. Masks are encouraged but not required, according to the Washington Post. Representatives in the House are largely working from home.

-The apparel chain J. Crew filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, becoming the first national retailer to do so during the coronavirus pandemic. The 73-year-old New York-based retailer, which had closed all 492 of its J. Crew and Madewell stores because of the outbreak, had nearly $2 billion in debt.

-For the first time, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments by telephone and audio of the arguments could be heard live by the world. The historic session began at the usual time of 10 a.m. EDT, when Marshal Pamela Talkin called the court to order and Chief Justice John Roberts announced the day’s case. “Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!" Talkin began, dropping the words commanding people “to draw near" to reflect the unusual circumstances, the Associated Press reported.

Worldwide:

-New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is scheduled to meet with Australia’s national cabinet meeting and state premiers on Tuesday to discuss a plan to allow people to travel between the two countries without quarantine restrictions. "Both our countries' strong record of fighting the virus has placed us in the enviable position of being able to plan the next stage in our economic rebuild and to include trans-Tasman travel and engagement in our strategy," Ardern told reporters.

-More than 4.4 million people were allowed to return to work in Italy on Monday and restrictions on movement eased. For example, funerals can be held but they must be limited to 15 people. Italians will still need a written statement explaining why they are outside their homes. Restaurants may reopen for carry-out service.

For the latest coronavirus information in your county and a full list of important resources to help you make the smartest decisions regarding the disease, check out our dedicated COVID-19 page.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.