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Second Coronavirus Wave Will Engulf U.S. in September, IHME Model Forecasts

Forecast has the national death toll reaching 170,000 by October, as Houston officials warn rising cases have it at “precipice of disaster.”

A second wave of the novel coronavirus could rip through the United States around September, according to a new scientific model from the University of Washington’s Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). The researchers foresee the national death toll from COVID-19 reaching 170,000 by Oct. 1, the Seattle Times reports. That would mean around 57,000 more deaths in the coming months, on top of the 113,000 Americans already confirmed to have been killed by the virus so far. IHME Director Christopher Murray told the paper that the projected deaths aren’t inevitable, adding: “We hope to see our model proven wrong by the swift actions individuals and governments take to reduce transmission.” Meanwhile, in Texas, Houston-area officials are reportedly “getting close” to reimposing stay-at-home orders after the state recorded its highest one-day tally of new cases since the pandemic began. According to Bloomberg News, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo warned: “We may be approaching the precipice of a disaster... It’s out of hand right now.”