Path ahead for pandemic could be shaped by masks while the US death toll inches closer to 100,000

President Donald Trump has foregone face coverings in public while his presumptive rival Joe Biden has worn one, staking their ground in the partisan debate over whether masks are a paranoid restriction or a necessary precaution.

At least 1,681,418 people in the US have been infected with the virus through Wednesday and 98,929 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The number of US deaths forecast by August has shifted to 132,000 -- 11,000 fewer than projected a week ago -- according to the IHME's model, one of more than a dozen highlighted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Behavioral changes like wearing masks could be responsible for the reduction, Murray said.

Many officials have urged their residents to wear masks.

Mike DeWine said wearing a mask isn't political, it's "about loving your fellow human being."

Still, warmer weather and a holiday weekend drew large crowds from their homes and into public spaces recently, with many faces uncovered.

The decision to wear a mask or avoid one will determine what happens next in the pandemic, Murray said.

Tests could be wrong and danger could be higher

Many reopenings also are contingent on testing and data showing that the transmission of the virus is low.

It is not only a problem for treating patients -- it calls into question whether low reports in cases really means it is time to reopen workplaces and public spaces.

How the infection numbers are trending

Infection rates vary from state to state.

Illinois appears to be entering a "downward trend," with the week ending May 16 being the first with a lower number of coronavirus deaths than the week before, Illinois Public Health Director Dr.

Ngozi Ezike announced at a news conference Tuesday.

But the possible trend is still at its early stages, Ezike said, and the public has a responsibility to continue to decrease transmission.

New York, the hardest hit state for the virus, reported Monday that 73 residents died in a single day, the lowest daily death toll since the start of the pandemic in the US, Gov.

Gretchen Whitmer said, despite pressure from the public and a decline in cases, the state is also not letting its guard down.

"Now, I'm not going to be bullied into ignoring the science and making political calculations," Whitmer said.