PROJECTIONS of the number of coronavirus cases and deaths may need to be updated, and the U.S. Treasury Department is going to borrow nearly $3 trillion to cover costs related to COVID-19 (Shutterstock).

The New York Times reported Monday that an internal White House memo projects that the daily national death toll from the coronavirus pandemic could rise to 3,000 cases by early June, nearly twice what it is now.

According to The Times, the projections are from a draft report from  Federal Emergency Management Agency and also forecast around 200,000 new cases daily by the end of May, up from 25,000 now.

The Washington Post reported later that it also had a copy of the forecast.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump said that deaths in the U.S. could be as high as 100,000 people. At a virtual town hall on Fox News, he said “We’re going to lose anywhere from 75,[000], 80,[000] to 100,000 people. That’s a horrible thing. We shouldn’t lose one person over this.”

A model used to predict the course of the disease foresees 74,000 deaths by Aug. 4. That’s from the University of Washington, and represents an increase from the April projection of nearly 65,000, according to Business Insider.

Johns Hopkins University on Monday reported a total of 61,699 deaths from COVID-19 and 1,155,720 confirmed cases in the United States.

Shula, all-time most winning coach, dies at 90

Don Shula, the NFL coach with the most wins in the league’s history, died Monday at his home, according to multiple sources. He was 90.

DON SHULA

Shula was the head coach for the 17-0 Miami Dolphins in 1972-73, coached in six Super Bowls (winning two) and posted 347 NFL wins.  He was head coach of the Baltimore Colts from 1963-1969 and the Miami Dolphins (1970-1995). He was involved in two watershed moments in NFL history.

In the third Super Bowl in 1969, his heavily-favored Colts team lost 16-7 to the Joe Namath and the New York Jets in a contest that helped legitimize the American Football League.

In 1972-3 he led the Dolphins to the only undefeated season ever in the NFL, winning Super Bowl VII by defeating the Washington Redskins 14-7.

Nearly $3 trillion to be borrowed, says Treasury

The U.S. Treasury Department will need to borrow approximately $2.99 trillion to meet the expenses of efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic and ease its impacts on Americans.

According to the Associated Press, the loan will be the biggest ever for a single quarter, covering April to June 2020. Additionally, the Treasury Department is experiencing a decline in revenue as the payment deadline for federal income taxes has been postponed from April 15 to July 15.

Summer early for Orange County area?

Temperatures will be warm Monday afternoon and will get warmer through Wednesday in the Orange County area, according to the National Weather Service. Monday’s high will be 81, with an overnight low of 61. Tuesday’s figures will jump up to a high of 91, then peak at 93 on Wednesday. No rain is predicted. Temperatures are predicted to drop to 80 by Sunday and into the high 70s next week.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––