The United States can expect to see nearly 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths by December 1 unless people change their actions. That estimate comes from the nation’s most closely watched prediction model. Health experts say the number of deaths could be cut in half if nearly everyone wore a face covering in public spaces. These predictions show that what happens with coronavirus infections this fall depends on human behavior, said Lauren Ancel Meyers. She is director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium. “We cannot stop Delta,” she said, “but we can change our behavior overnight.” That means wearing face coverings, limiting social gatherings, staying home when sick and getting vaccinated. “Those things are within our control,” Meyers said. The U.S. is in the middle of its fourth wave of infection. The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is partly to blame. It has caused a sharp rise in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, and has set back months of progress against the virus. In the U.S., deaths are now above 1,100 a day on average. The number has not been that high since the middle of March. Experts with the University of Washington predict that 98,000 more Americans will die by the start of December. That will make the total number of U.S. deaths nearly 730,000. The prediction says deaths will rise to nearly 1,400 a day by the middle of September, then lessen slowly. But the model also says many of those deaths can be avoided if enough Americans change their ways. “We can save 50,000 lives simply by wearing masks. That’s how important behaviors are,” said Ali Mokdad. He is a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington and is involved in making the predictions. There are already signs that Americans are taking the threat more seriously. In the past several weeks, the demand for COVID-19 vaccine shots has gone up. The number of shots given each day has climbed around 80 percent over the past month to an average of about 900,000.
Title: 100,000 More COVID Deaths to Come Unless US Changes
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/A.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='100,000 More COVID Deaths to Come Unless US Changes' data-article-id='5854'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='12500'>The United States can expect to see nearly 100,000 more COVID-19 deaths by December 1 unless people change their actions. </span> <span data-start-time='12500' data-end-time='19875'>That estimate comes from the nation’s most closely watched prediction model.</span> <span data-start-time='19875' data-end-time='31313'>Health experts say the number of deaths could be cut in half if nearly everyone wore a face covering in public spaces.</span> <span data-start-time='31313' data-end-time='45042'>These predictions show that what happens with coronavirus infections this fall depends on human behavior, said Lauren Ancel Meyers. </span> <span data-start-time='45042' data-end-time='53688'>She is director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium.</span> <span data-start-time='53688' data-end-time='61771'>“We cannot stop Delta,” she said, “but we can change our behavior overnight.”</span> <span data-start-time='61771' data-end-time='72271'>That means wearing face coverings, limiting social gatherings, staying home when sick and getting vaccinated.</span> <span data-start-time='72271' data-end-time='77417'>“Those things are within our control,” Meyers said.</span> <span data-start-time='77417' data-end-time='83063'>The U.S. is in the middle of its fourth wave of infection. </span> <span data-start-time='83063' data-end-time='90208'>The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is partly to blame. </span> <span data-start-time='90208' data-end-time='103729'>It has caused a sharp rise in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, and has set back months of progress against the virus.</span> <span data-start-time='103729' data-end-time='112604'>In the U.S., deaths are now above 1,100 a day on average. </span> <span data-start-time='112604' data-end-time='118313'>The number has not been that high since the middle of March.</span> <span data-start-time='118313' data-end-time='129104'>Experts with the University of Washington predict that 98,000 more Americans will die by the start of December. </span> <span data-start-time='129104' data-end-time='137479'>That will make the total number of U.S. deaths nearly 730,000.</span> <span data-start-time='137479' data-end-time='149854'>The prediction says deaths will rise to nearly 1,400 a day by the middle of September, then lessen slowly. </span> <span data-start-time='149854' data-end-time='160000'>But the model also says many of those deaths can be avoided if enough Americans change their ways.</span> <span data-start-time='160000' data-end-time='165063'>“We can save 50,000 lives simply by wearing masks. </span> <span data-start-time='165063' data-end-time='170354'>That’s how important behaviors are,” said Ali Mokdad. </span> <span data-start-time='170354' data-end-time='181292'>He is a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington and is involved in making the predictions.</span> <span data-start-time='181292' data-end-time='188167'>There are already signs that Americans are taking the threat more seriously.</span> <span data-start-time='188167' data-end-time='196396'>In the past several weeks, the demand for COVID-19 vaccine shots has gone up. </span> <span data-start-time='196396' data-end-time='208604'>The number of shots given each day has climbed around 80 percent over the past month to an average of about 900,000.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/A.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=17997 data-hint-location='61771' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/what_is_a_gathering.wav'>What is a gathering?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='an assembly or meeting, especially a social or festive one or one held for a specific purpose'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/an_assembly_or_meeting_especially_a_social_or_festive_one_or_one_held_for_a_specific_purpose.wav'><span>an assembly or meeting, especially a social or festive one or one held for a specific purpose</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/plant_leaves_collectively.wav'><span>plant leaves collectively</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/a_solemn_promise.wav'><span>a solemn promise</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/a_flock_of_geese.wav'><span>a flock of geese</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=17998 data-hint-location='77417' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/what_wave_of_covid_infection_is_the_us_currently_experiencing.wav'>What wave of COVID infection is the US currently experiencing?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='fourth'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/fourth.wav'><span>fourth</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/second.wav'><span>second</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/third.wav'><span>third</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/tenth.wav'><span>tenth</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=17999 data-hint-location='160000' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/we_can_save_50000_lives_simply_by_wearing__blank__.wav'>We can save 50,000 lives simply by wearing <span class='blank'>masks</span>. </div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='masks'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/shoes.wav'><span>shoes</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/glasses.wav'><span>glasses</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/tea.wav'><span>tea</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5300/masks.wav'><span>masks</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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