(CNN) — The United States could face as many as 100,000 more Covid-19 deaths in less than a month, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The nation reported more than 4,000 Covid-19 deaths Wednesday, only the third day ever to cross that threshold, bringing the death toll to at least 406,001 people, according to the Johns Hopkins tracking data.
And by February 13, that number could reach 508,000, according to an ensemble forecast published by the CDC. The last forecast, on January 13, projected up to 477,000 deaths by February 6.
The CDC’s ensemble forecast comes as the US on Thursday marks one year since the first patient with Covid-19 was identified in the US — a number that has since ballooned to more than 24.4 million, per Johns Hopkins.
In the meantime, vaccines have begun to be distributed, but there remain significant challenges with the supply across the country, according to state officials.
New CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Wednesday described the toll of the pandemic as “truly heartbreaking” but that “healthier days lie ahead” — although that getting there would require a rapid acceleration of testing, surveillance and vaccination.
She said the agency will be conducting a review of all of its guidance regarding the pandemic, so “people can make decisions and take action based upon the best available evidence.”
To alleviate the financial burdens, the CDC will also extend a federal moratorium preventing the eviction of some people from their homes until March 31.
Also on Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced the US will rejoin the World Health Organization. His administration will also continue to hold regular meetings with local health officials, said Lori Tremmel Freeman, CEO of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
“We still have a lot of spread and a lot of burden from that spread on our health care systems and a lot of death from the disease. We still have a lot of work to do,” Freeman said.
