"Thousands will die"... you are being wildly optimistic
Putting aside the risk of nuclear war and the BILLIONS that would die as a result, we are looking at a global food crisis in the coming year and beyond. We will likely see famine, the resulting turmoil and instability will lead to more conflicts worldwide.
And if China decides to settle the Taiwan issue this year, or next... ? We are entering a VERY dark phase of human history.
If the global deaths from this folly over the next 2 years stays out of the range of 'millions' we will be very lucky.
And luck has been in short supply for humanity, lately.