Obviously, we are not in total control right now, said infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci. (File)
Washington:
A US health expert warned Congress on Tuesday that new cases of coronaviruses could more than double to 100,000 a day if authorities and the public did not take action to end the pandemic.
Infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, a prominent member of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force, said the United States was headed in the “wrong direction” on the pandemic and demanded that Americans wear masks and avoid crowds after lax behavior has spurred new outbreaks.
“I am very worried and I am not satisfied with what is happening, because we are going in the wrong direction,” he told a Senate panel.
Alarming peaks in new cases in South Texas and Florida hot spots are pushing the national total of new cases to more than 40,000 a day, and they must be compiled quickly to avoid dangerous outbreaks elsewhere in the country, pointed out Fauci.
“Obviously, we are not in full control right now,” he said, adding, “I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes up to 100,000 a day if it doesn’t go away.”
These terrible messages have heightened concerns about the ability of the United States to contain a pandemic that has claimed the lives of 126,000 Americans.
The testimony comes as the United States, the hardest hit country in the world, with more than 2.6 million infections, has been excluded from the list of 15 countries to which the European Union will open its borders from. July 1, and as he seeks to find out how to ensure a safe reopening of schools in the coming months.
Fauci said he believes some states are “skipping certain checkpoints” that ensure the safe reopening of commercial and public spaces.
And he also sent a brutal message to young adults in the country who have engaged in “dangerous” behaviors, including gathering in bars, not wearing masks and not following social distancing guidelines.
“I think we need to emphasize the responsibility that we have, both as individuals and as part of a societal effort to end the epidemic, that we all have to play a role in that, “said Fauci.
Trump said “ wear a mask ”
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield, has raised the alarm over increasing trajectories in several jurisdictions, including COVID-19 hospitalizations in 12 states, and said he was “critical “Let every American take personal responsibility and” embrace “the use of face covers. “
But panel chairman Republican Senator Lamar Alexander also pointed to Trump, saying the president has the power to end the politicization of the mask, which suggests “if you’re for Trump, you’re not wearing mask “. If you’re against Trump, you do. “
“This is why I suggested that the president occasionally wear a mask,” said Alexander.
“The president has many admirers, they would follow his example,” he added. “It would help end this political debate.”
Trump, who refuses to wear a mask at public events and has mocked his rivals for wearing them in the past, has said he wants to get out of the coronavirus crisis and focus on his re-election campaign.
Democrats, including his rival in the November elections, Joe Biden, brutalized the president for lack of leadership on mitigating the pandemic.
Tuesday’s hearing focused in part on whether the United States can adequately prepare for the resumption of tens of millions of children in school in the coming months despite the resilient pandemic that is raging in some states.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has advocated that the next school year begins with students physically present in schools, arguing that children are less likely to become symptomatic or seriously ill than the adults.
Mr. Fauci himself said that he thought “very strongly that we must do our best to bring our children back to school”.
He also said he was “cautiously optimistic” that a vaccine could be ready by the end of the year or early 2021.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
