Coronavirus pandemic
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Coronavirus wave this fall could infect 100 million, administration warns

The projections for fall and winter are part of a pitch for additional funding for vaccines, treatments and tests

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May 6, 2022 at 6:51 p.m. EDT
People walk through Copley Square in Boston as states start to drop the mask mandate in February. (Adam Glanzman for The Washington Post)
6 min

The Biden administration is warning the United States could see 100 million coronavirus infections and a potentially significant wave of deaths this fall and winter, driven by new omicron subvariants that have shown a remarkable ability to escape immunity.

The projection, made Friday by a senior administration official during a background briefing as the nation approaches a covid death toll of 1 million, is part of a broader push to boost the nation’s readiness and persuade lawmakers to appropriate billions of dollars to purchase a new tranche of vaccines, tests and therapeutics.