CNN: U.S., U.K. coronavirus strategies shifted following U.K. epidemiologists’ ominous report
“A study by U.K. epidemiologists predicts that attempts to slow, or mitigate — rather than actively halt, or suppress — the novel coronavirus could overwhelm the number of intensive care hospital beds and lead to about 250,000 deaths in the U.K. and more than a million in the United States during the course of the current pandemic. The study, which has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, was released on Monday by London’s Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team, which says it is advising the U.K. government on its response strategy…” (Walsh, 3/17).

New York Times: Behind the Virus Report That Jarred the U.S. and the U.K. to Action
“…The report, which warned that an uncontrolled spread of the disease could cause as many as 510,000 deaths in Britain, triggered a sudden shift in the government’s comparatively relaxed response to the virus. American officials said the report, which projected up to 2.2 million deaths in the United States from such a spread, also influenced the White House to strengthen its measures to isolate members of the public…” (Landler et al, 3/17).

Washington Post: A chilling scientific paper helped upend U.S. and U.K. coronavirus strategies
“…These kinds of numbers are deeply concerning for countries with top-drawer health-care systems. They are terrifying for less-developed countries, global health experts say. If Britain and the United States pursued more-ambitious measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, to slow but not necessarily stop the epidemic over the coming few months, they could reduce mortality by half, to 260,000 people in the United Kingdom and 1.1 million in the United States…” (Booth, 3/17).

Additional coverage of the Imperial College report is available from Financial Times, National Review, and Reuters.