More Americans could die from coronavirus than those killed in battle during Civil War, White House projection shows

President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Tuesday, March 31, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump and his leading health advisers dealing with the novel coronavirus pandemic offered some grim statistics for Americans in the weeks ahead.
Statistical models showed that roughly 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could die from the disease — even if Americans observed the strict social distancing guidelines.
The forecasted figures are an alarming when put in context with other pandemics and wars.
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President Donald Trump and his leading health advisers dealing with the novel coronavirus pandemic offered some grim statistics for Americans in the weeks ahead.

Statistical models showed that roughly 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could die from the disease — even if Americans observed the strict social distancing guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Trump's coronavirus team.

Trump shifted his tone on Tuesday to reflect the new statistics. He previously described the novel coronavirus as seasonal influenza: "This is a flu. This is like a flu," Trump said in late February.

"I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead," Trump said during a press conference at the White House on Tuesday. "We're going to go through a very tough two weeks."

Earlier worst-case scenario estimates predicted around 200,000 to 1.7 million deaths and between 160 million and 214 million infections in the US. As of Tuesday evening, there were over 184,343 cases and 3,796 deaths in the US.

"We really believe we can do a lot better than that," Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator said during the briefing, adding that it was imperative for people to continue observing health guidelines despite a potential improvement in the near-term.

Birx stressed that there was "no magic bullet, there's no magic vaccine or therapy" and that the proliferation of the disease depended on human behavior.

The forecasted 100,000 and 240,000 deaths is an alarming number when put into context with other pandemics and wars.

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