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'Entirely conceivable' that more than 1 million people in the US could contract coronavirus, Fauci says
From CNN’s Allie Malloy
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters in the Rose Garden Sunday that it’s "entirely conceivable" that more than 1 million people in the US could contract coronavirus but added that mitigation and extending guidelines through April will hopefully curb those numbers.
"The number I gave out is, you know, based on modeling," Fauci said, explaining the models he discussed on CNN's State of the Union Sunday morning.
Fauci said it was
possible up to 100,000 could die from the virus.
"What we’re trying to do is not to let that happen," he said.
Fauci, the director of the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called the decision to extend the mitigation process until the end of April a "wise and prudent decision."
He added that he and Dr. Deborah Birx, response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, discussed the plans and that the President accepted their recommendation.