The CDC made the prediction in its weekly “ensemble forecast,” which combines national and stave-level forecasts into an aggregate prediction on the state of COVID-19 over the next four weeks. In this week’s forecast, the CDC predicted that in the week ending Jan. 2, the U.S. could see anywhere from 12,600 to 23,400 new deaths due to the virus. ADVERTISEMENTThis means that by this date, the country could reach a total of anywhere from 332,000 to 362,000 COVID-19 deaths. According to the CDC, 37 of the 40 groups provided forecasts for both new and total deaths, with two groups forecasting total deaths only and one forecasting new deaths only. As of Wednesday, the CDC has recorded more than 285,000 total coronavirus fatalities, with more than 15 million reported infections since the CDC began recording data on the virus in January.
