CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An institute creating projections used by the White House coronavirus task force is estimating North Carolina and South Carolina would see thousands of COVID-19 deaths before the end of the outbreak.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation(IHME), an institute that is part of the University of Washington,entered the headlines Tuesday when Dr. Deborah Birx said 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S.from the coronavirus pandemic are possible if social distancing is maintained. Her statement was backed up by data and projections from the institute.
The estimates for North Carolina say the state will hit the peak of its 'curve' for deaths per day on April 27. At that time, IHME estimates 50 people will be dying from COVID-19 every day.
Although the projections say North Carolina will have enough hospital beds available, the state will need to gain about another 200 ICU beds at the peak of the curve. In total, IHME estimates a total of 1,597 people will die from the virus in North Carolina. The final death in the state, according to the projections, would be in early June.
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