New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is weighing in with his opinion on the United States’ rising death toll estimate.
During Tuesday’s coronavirus press briefing, Cuomo discussed the latest death toll projections announced by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), which is a model the White House relies upon. That model currently predicts an estimated 134,000 deaths by August 4.
“How did it go from 60,000 deaths to 134,000 deaths? This is the model which the White House relies on,” Cuomo asked.
He went on to read the response from the IHME director.
“When the director of the Institute was asked why those revisions happened, the director said, ‘Rising mobility as well as the easing of social distancing measures expected in 31 states by May 13, indicating that growing contacts among people will promote transmission of the coronavirus,'” Cuomo said.
Based on the director’s statement, Cuomo is attributing the rising death toll estimate to “reopening quickly.”
“There’s a cost of staying closed,” Cuomo said. “There’s also a cost of reopening quickly. That is the hard truth that we are all dealing with, and let’s be honest about it, and let’s be open about it.”
See Cuomo’s remarks below:
Cuomo went on to pose a question about the worth of human life, arguing that there is no tradeoff worth life, itself.
“How much is a human life worth? That’s the real discussion that no one is admitting openly or freely. But we should,” Cuomo said. “To me, I say the cost of a human life is priceless. Our reopening plan doesn’t have a tradeoff.”
Cuomo’s remarks also follow the release of a New York Times report on a model that also suggests sharp summer increases in the death toll.
On Monday, reports began circulating about a model based on data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that suggests an uptick in COVID-19 deaths. That model suggests the United States may see approximately 3,000 deaths per day in the month of June.
However, the White House has denied the predictions despite the information being based on data from FEMA, as IJR reported.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there are more than 1.2 million coronavirus cases in the United States. The death toll has now surpassed 70,000.