George Floyd Protests Could Lead To 54,000 Additional COVID-19 Cases

A scientist who works for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is warning that the George Floyd protests could lead to an additional 54,000 cases of COVID-19 and 540 deaths. Trevor Bedford has been tracking the pandemic since January and said that projections indicate we could see anywhere between 1,500 and 3,000 additional cases per day due to the protests. 

Bedford said that cities with large protest rallies could start seeing a spike in cases in the next few days. 

"Given the severity of COVID-19, even a modest increase of 3% to 6% on top of the current national epidemic has substantial downstream repercussions," Bedford wrote on Twitter.

Bedford said that the police are "exacerbating" the problem by using tear gas and conducting mass arrests. He said police officers should focus on deescalating the protests to help slow down the spread of the virus.

"Police must seek responses that minimize transmission potential. Current responses of tear gas, pepper spray, and jailing after curfew are actively exacerbating it. Deescalation is even more critical in light of COVID," he tweeted.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also cautioned that the protests could lead to a spike in new cases, and said that they are monitoring the situation.

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