Murray Responds to Alarming New Report on COVID-19 Threat: “Now Is Not the Time to Retreat”
Senator Murray responds to new University of Washington report forecasting current trajectory of COVID-19 pandemic in U.S.
Murray: “People in my state and across the country have made incredible personal sacrifices to help slow the spread of this disease—now is not the time to retreat and let those efforts go to waste.”
Director of UW’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation: “The trajectory of the pandemic will change – and dramatically for the worse – if people ease up on social distancing or relax with other precautions.”
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement in response to a new report from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) which forecasts the current trajectory of the COVID-19 outbreak in Washington state and across the country.
“It’s more important than ever right now that we listen to the public health experts—not politicians—about what our country should do to keep families safe as this crisis continues to develop. The data is clear, the worst thing we could do at this critical moment is call off the fight early, lose the progress our families and communities have fought so hard to make, and worsen and extend this crisis. People in my state and across the country have made incredible personal sacrifices to help slow the spread of this disease—now is not the time to retreat and let those efforts go to waste,” said Senator Murray.
The findings in the report offer a stark warning about prematurely ending important measures that have been implemented in the interests of public health to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“Our estimated trajectory of COVID-19 deaths assumes continued and uninterrupted vigilance by the general public, hospital and health workers, and government agencies,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). “The trajectory of the pandemic will change – and dramatically for the worse – if people ease up on social distancing or relax with other precautions. We encourage everyone to adhere to those precautions to help save lives.”
According to the new report:
- Over the next four months between 38,000 and 162,000 people in the U.S. will die from the virus under current conditions.
- Demand for ventilators and beds in US hospital intensive care units (ICUs) will far exceed capacity for COVID-19 patients as early as the second week of April.
- 41 states will need more ICU beds than they currently have available and 11 states may need to increase their ICU beds by 50% or more.
- Deaths related to the current wave of COVID-19 in the US are likely to persist into July, even assuming people strongly adhere to social distancing measures and other precautions.
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Senator Murray responds to new University of Washington report forecasting current trajectory of COVID-19 pandemic in U.S.
Murray: “People in my state and across the country have made incredible personal sacrifices to help slow the spread of this disease—now is not the time to retreat and let those efforts go to waste.”
Director of UW’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation: “The trajectory of the pandemic will change – and dramatically for the worse – if people ease up on social distancing or relax with other precautions.”
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement in response to a new report from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) which forecasts the current trajectory of the COVID-19 outbreak in Washington state and across the country.
“It’s more important than ever right now that we listen to the public health experts—not politicians—about what our country should do to keep families safe as this crisis continues to develop. The data is clear, the worst thing we could do at this critical moment is call off the fight early, lose the progress our families and communities have fought so hard to make, and worsen and extend this crisis. People in my state and across the country have made incredible personal sacrifices to help slow the spread of this disease—now is not the time to retreat and let those efforts go to waste,” said Senator Murray.
The findings in the report offer a stark warning about prematurely ending important measures that have been implemented in the interests of public health to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“Our estimated trajectory of COVID-19 deaths assumes continued and uninterrupted vigilance by the general public, hospital and health workers, and government agencies,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). “The trajectory of the pandemic will change – and dramatically for the worse – if people ease up on social distancing or relax with other precautions. We encourage everyone to adhere to those precautions to help save lives.”
According to the new report:
- Over the next four months between 38,000 and 162,000 people in the U.S. will die from the virus under current conditions.
- Demand for ventilators and beds in US hospital intensive care units (ICUs) will far exceed capacity for COVID-19 patients as early as the second week of April.
- 41 states will need more ICU beds than they currently have available and 11 states may need to increase their ICU beds by 50% or more.
- Deaths related to the current wave of COVID-19 in the US are likely to persist into July, even assuming people strongly adhere to social distancing measures and other precautions.
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