Fauci Says US Could Reach 100,000 Coronavirus Cases A Day
Last edited Wed Jul 8, 2020, 07:59 PM - Edit history (2)
Source: The New York Times
(Updated 12:14 am, July 1, 2020, By Sheryl Gay Stolberg & Noah Weiland). WASHINGTON -- The government's top infectious disease expert said on Tuesday that the rate of new coronavirus infections could more than double to 100,000 a day if current outbreaks were not contained, warning that the virus's march across the South and the West "puts the entire country at risk."
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, offered the grim prediction while testifying on Capitol Hill, telling senators that no region of the country is safe from the virus's resurgence. The number of new cases in the United States has shot up by 80 percent in the past two weeks, according to a New York Times database, with new hot spots flaring far from the Sun Belt epicenters. "I can't make an accurate prediction, but it is going to be very disturbing, I will guarantee you that," Dr. Fauci said, "because when you have an outbreak in one part of the country, even though in other parts of the country they are doing well, they are vulnerable."
New flash points have weighed down talk of a resumption of normal life and a quick economic rebound. The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome H. Powell, issued his own gloomy assessment, cautioning lawmakers on Tuesday of an "extraordinarily uncertain" moment facing the American economy. "A full recovery is unlikely until people are confident that it is safe to re-engage in a broad range of activities," Mr. Powell told a House committee, adding that a second wave "could force people to withdraw" and "undermine public confidence, which is what we need to get back to lots of kinds of economic activity that involve crowds."
The twin hearings on Capitol Hill mirrored concerns roiling states where hospitalizations are rising, intensive care units are filling up and business establishments are again shutting their doors. Dr. Fauci particularly implored states to shut down indoor drinking establishments, declaring, "Congregation at a bar, inside, is bad news." And Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, admonished American Airlines for beginning to sell flights to their capacity, which would make onboard social distancing impossible. "When they announced that the other day, obviously there was substantial disappointment," Dr. Redfield said, adding, "We don't think it's the right message."...
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fauci-says-us-could-reach-100-000-coronavirus-cases-a-day/ar-BB16aSMJ
In the US, and the world, it became painfully clear that, despite President Trump's recent suggestion that the virus would "fade away," the pandemic is getting worse.
On Tuesday, more than 46,000 coronavirus cases were announced across the US, the most of any day of the pandemic.
Eight states-Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas -- also announced single-day highs.
Counts of cases have risen sharply in many states that were the first to reopen, including Florida and Texas, which recently forced bars to close again. In Texas, the bar closures spurred protests at the State Capitol and the governor's mansion on Tuesday.
Arizona officials on Tuesday identified more than 4,600 new coronavirus infections, the state's most in a single day by far.
California's case count has soared, surpassing 220,000 known infections.
Vice President Mike Pence, point person for the administration, insisted that the situation was not dire, telling reporters in suburban Washington, "We're in a much better place than four months ago, even two months ago." Mr. Pence has said the new infections are primarily hitting younger people who get less sick... Read much more..
= new reply since forum marked as read
