Ex-FDA Chief Says US Could Hit 300K Deaths In 2020

July 22, 2020 Coronavirus, Trump Administration

Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Doug Gottlieb signaled Wednesday that the U.S. could reach 300,000 COVID-19 deaths by the end of 2020 if the country’s death rate doesn’t improve.

“Right now we have close to 1,000 casualties a day; so if we don’t change that trajectory, you could do the math and see where we are towards the end of the year,” Gottlieb, who served as President Trump’s FDA chief, told MSNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

“We have the specter right now of parts of this country where the local school boards are making a decision to close schools, but the bars and restaurants are still open,” Gottlieb said. “We need to make a decision what’s important to us and what we’re willing to sacrifice right now until we get to the other side of this.”

“In the United States … by the end of the year we could have upwards of 300,000 [deaths] if we continue on the current trajectory. Right now we have close to 1,000 casualties a day,” says @ScottGottliebMD on the possible total number of #coronavirus deaths. pic.twitter.com/nS6vNUz2K5

— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) July 22, 2020