Washington DC mayor says coronavirus peak in US capital likely in June

WASHINGTON - Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, said on Sunday coronavirus cases in the US capital will likely peak in June.

"We, like all cities and states around the country, are looking at various models to see what they tell us about when our medical surge will happen," Bowser said in an interview on Fox News. "And we expect that could happen in Washington DC in June."

She said she believed citywide interventions in early March, including the closure of large public venues, bars and dine-in restaurants, "pushed back when the peak might occur."

Bowser also expressed her concerns about racial disparities in the spread of the coronavirus in big cities and across the country.

"This virus has put a spotlight on the disproportionate number of African-Americans who suffer from chronic disease," the mayor said. "And it has also put a spotlight on the health disparities that have plagued African-Americans for generations."

According to a recent analysis, nearly 3,300, or about 42 percent of the nation's 13,000 COVID-19 deaths thus far were black. African-Americans account for roughly 21 percent of the total population in the areas covered by the analysis.

There were 1,875 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Washington DC as of Sunday evening, with 50 deaths and more than 10,000 people tested, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

The US Census Bureau data from 2017 shows that more than 47 percent of Washington DC residents were African-American.