Former CDC Director Predicts 100,000 U.S. Virus Deaths By End of May

As President Donald Trump presses the United States to reopen, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns the world is still in the beginning stages of the coronavirus pandemic, which he said could go on for "many months and possibly many years."

Tom Frieden, who headed the CDC during Barack Obama's presidency also said the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 will reach 100,000 by the end of May. "As bad as this has been, it's just the beginning," he said.

Frieden made the dire prediction at a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday, a day after Trump said his White House coronavirus task force would be winding down.

By Wednesday morning, Trump reversed course and said the task force would continue, but it would shift its focus toward rebooting the economy.

During his testimony, Frieden underscored that reopening the nation must be based on data and the realization of "a new normal."

"We're all so impatient to restart our activities. Sheltering in place is a blunt but effective weapon," he said. "We need to deploy all of the effective weapons in our arsenal."

Frieden also told the committee that while "it is inevitable that there will be future outbreaks, it's not inevitable that we will continue to be so underprepared."

"When the world is safer, we will be safer," he said.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.

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