Biden Warns of Drastic U.S. Covid Death Toll Increase of as Much as 250,000 in the Coming Weeks: ‘People Aren’t Paying Attention’

Preident-elect Joe Biden echoed warnings from public health experts about the U.S. coronavirus death toll in a roundtable on the pandemic Wednesday.

Over 260,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus as of this posting, and CDC Director Robert Redfield said earlier Wednesday that before February the death toll could rise to 450,000.

During his roundtable, Biden emphasized that people should not be traveling during the holidays, saying his own family celebrated Thanksgiving over Zoom and warning that “Christmas is going to be a lot harder.”

"You cannot be traveling during these holidays," @JoeBiden says during a virtual roundtable on Covid-19.

"I don't want to scare anybody here, but understand the facts: we're likely to lose another 250,000 people– dead, between now and January." pic.twitter.com/Rka4NbssMY

— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) December 2, 2020

“I don’t want to scare anybody here, but understand the facts: we’re likely to lose another 250,000 people — dead, between now and January,” Biden said. “You hear me? Because people aren’t paying attention.”

The warnings about staying safe in the winter come amid growing backlash to several prominent Democratic officials who have been busted for plans flouting the guidances they themselves have publicly pushed.