Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
MARYLAND (WMAL) – The number of deaths in the District from COVID-19 now stands at 15, and Mayor Muriel Bowser expects the number to peak in July at anywhere from 220 to more than 1,000. The number of total cases is expected to grow from 757 to 93,000 according to the Chime model. She says others are using the IHME model.
“Our concern is that this model may overestimate the impact of social distancing, thus underestimating infections,” Bowser said Friday.
She estimates the city will need an extra 5,500 hospital beds to accommodate the spike in cases. The city’s surge hospital plan includes: adding beds, reopening closed medical facilities, adding staff and increasing hospital space by postponing elective procedures.
The city has looked at 39 facilities, including the Armory as potential places to add beds.
In addition to more beds, the city will also need more supplies. Bowser’s wish list includes: 1,000 ventilators, 600,000 N95 masks, 5.6 million surgical masks, 1.4 million gowns, 350,000 face shields and 40 million gloves.
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