Photo: GT

 
As the US, having seen the highest numbers of coronavirus infections for months, saw its number of COVID-19 deaths surpass 100,000 on Thursday, a Chinese data scientist noted that the country may need another five to eight months to be free of new cases as it is relaxing social distancing policies and interstate travel bans.

Experts, who follow the China-US relations, said the startling death toll shows the US is a "loser" in the fight against the pandemic despite it receiving an early warning and having advanced medical resources and technology.

Liang Manchun, associate research fellow at the Institute for Public Safety Research of Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Thursday that new cases in the US would drop gradually and with strict anti-pandemic measures, the country could be free of new cases in late September. But Liang warned that prediction may be inaccurate due to the complex and changing realities.

Liang also noted that the US is more likely to curb the contagion after five to eight months because it had prematurely lifted restriction measures.

The resumption of work and production, increasing interstate population flows, governments' strength in imposing restrictions, and people's adherence to the home-quarantine measures could affect the process, Liang said.

Despite the spreading virus, US President Donald Trump continues to pressure states to lift orders and return to work. Many states are on track to restart their economies and relax restrictions. Bars and barber shops reopened, and people flocked to beaches, according to US media reprots.

From the first reported fatality due to COVID-19 on February 6, it took the US some 110 days to hit the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths, almost double the number of casualties of the Vietnam War (1964-75, 58,000). The fatalities of COVID-19 ranked the third among all the deadly incidents in US history, following World War II (1941-45, 291,000) and the Civil war (1861-65,498,000).

The situation is a direct result of the absolute incompetence of the Trump Administration in handling the epidemic, Shen Yi, director at the Research Center for Cyberspace Governance of Fudan University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"The US has the most advanced medical technologies, information and intelligence, but it performed the worst as the US government is such an incapable commander in the pandemic fight," Shen said.

He warned that the US should focus all its attention on the pandemic and domestic situation, instead of shifting blame and intervening in the internal affairs of other countries.