By Servet Gunerigok
WASHINGTON (AA) - The US could be in a "much better place" by early summer if mitigation efforts continue to fight the novel coronavirus, Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday.
Speaking at a White House coronavirus task force briefing, Pence said the New York metro area, New Jersey, Connecticut, Detroit and New Orleans all appear to be past their peak.
"Our task force believes that if we continue these mitigation efforts in the days ahead, if states implement their policies, we do believe by early summer we could be in a much better place as a nation, with much of this coronavirus epidemic behind us," he told reporters.
"We're making meaningful progress."
Pence's remarks came a week after President Donald Trump said the country could see up to 65,000 coronavirus deaths, a figure lower than the estimate of 100,000-240,000 originally announced by the task force.
"I think we will be substantially, hopefully, below the 100,000. I think right now, we are heading at probably around 60,000, maybe 65,000," Trump told reporters at the White House task force’s news conference.
As of Thursday evening, the US had more than 864,000 cases and over 49,000 deaths. Nearly 80,000 have recovered.
The virus has spread to 185 countries and regions, infecting over 2.7 million and killing more than 190,000 since first emerging in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.