DC braces of dramatic surge in coronavirus cases, deaths

WASHINGTON - If D.C. gets a wave of coronavirus cases similar to New York City, in the worst case scenario, Mayor Muriel Bowser expects to see more than 93,000 cases – with the peak coming at the end of June or the beginning of July.

Numbers like that would demand approximately 5,500 hospital beds to handle it all.

Based on a model the city health department is using, a mild wave would mean approximately 220 deaths, a moderate estimate would mean 440, and a severe wave could be 1,000 deaths.

The city is trying to obtain hundreds of thousands of PPEs – in one case, it’s in the millions. But there’s a shortage, and the supply chain has so far failed to keep up with the demand.

The city has now opened its testing site at the United Medical Center to any city resident who has a doctor’s note and an appointment.

Data released today shows that 14 of the District’s 24 fatal cases were African-American.