Biden’s CDC pick projects 500K COVID deaths by mid-February

Next month could see the death toll from COVID-19 in the United States surpassing half a million, a candidate for the administration of President-elect Joe Biden has warned.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, Biden’s choice to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said there would be “dark weeks” in the pandemic after the new administration took office.

“As of mid-February, we predict half a million deaths in this country,” Walensky told CBS presenter Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

She added that Americans “still haven’t seen the ramifications of what happened with the vacation trip,” which could mean more hospitalizations and deaths.

On Monday, the United States was approaching 400,000 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Biden has pledged to deliver 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine within the first 100 days of his presidency, one of his top priorities.

“We have looked carefully and are confident that we have enough vaccine for the 100 million doses over the next 100 days,” Walensky said.

“That’s what the president-elect promised. It will be a big boost, but we have it in us to do it.