WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Sunday that the peak death rate in the United States from the coronavirus pandemic was likely to hit in two weeks. Trump also told that he was extending the government’s “social distancing” guidelines until April 30 to decrease the spread of coronavirus.

‘’The modelling estimates that the peak in death rate is likely to hit in two weeks,” the president said. “Therefore, we will be extending our guidelines to April 30th to slow the spread,” he said

Trump also addressed statements by one of his top medical advisors, Anthony Fauci, who estimated on Sunday that the virus could possibly result in 100,000 to 200,000 deaths in the United States. Trump characterized that as a "horrible number" but said it would have been worse without the lockdown orders and other efforts taken so far to prevent the spread of the highly infectious virus. "Potentially 2.2 million people if we did nothing, if we didn't do the distancing," he said. "If we didn't do all the things we're doing." Trump said he was extending the government's "social distancing" guidelines until April 30 to "slow the spread" of the virus.

The president said there would be an "important" announcement on Tuesday about the government's plans and strategy going forward. "We're going to have a meeting, speech, press conference or something on Tuesday," he said.

When Trump was asked that he would support another massive economic relief package such as the $2.2 trillion spending bill passed by Congress last week, he answered that he is ready to do whatever is necessary to save lives and to bring the economy back strong, just like it before. (Inputs from TOI)

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