NPR News cited Prof Ali Mokdad saying the deadly surge had peaked on January 21, 2020. Now Prof Mokdad is a Professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. And he is also Chief Strategy Officer for Population Health at the University of Washington. Has the U.S. coronavirus surge really peaked? Well he certainly makes for a piece of credible evidence.
Let’s Consider the Backing for Prof Mokdad’s Claim
Well firstly, NPR News advises several researchers confirm the fall and winter surge has peaked. ‘Yes, we have peaked in terms of cases,’ confirms Prof Mokdad’. ‘We are coming down, slowly. This is very good news, very good news.’
There’s also evidence in hospital numbers, where the overall patient count is down to 122,700 from a high of 132,000. However, some facilities are still overwhelmed. Therefore, if the U.S. coronavirus surge has really peaked we still have a backlog to work through. Especially with new strains appearing.
If U.S. Coronavirus Surge Has Really Peaked Is That Deaths Too?
Medical experts expect a lower mortality rate will follow. ‘Based on current trends, the worst appears to be over’. So says Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. ‘We are headed to a better place.’
However, community transmission rates are still high. But Dr. David Rubin who runs the PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia is more positive. ‘In most parts of the country you’re seeing declining transmission,’ he explains.
CDC spokesman Jason McDonald counters with these words of warning. ‘Often what we see is a sort of cyclical pattern where things worsen and so people stay home more.’
‘They are more vigilant about wearing masks. They skip the restaurants or the get-togethers,’ Caitlin Rivers explains. ‘But as things improve people relax a little bit. They incorporate some those risky behaviors again, and things can again accelerate.’
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