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The coronavirus pandemic continues to impact the United States with a number of states across the country continuing to see the number of new cases surge. Because of that, Dr. Anthony Fauci has a grim warning.
While testifying before the Senate HELP committee on Tuesday, Fauci said he would “not be surprised” if the United States sees the number of new cases per day top 100,000.
“I’m very concerned and not satisfied with what’s going on because we’re going in the wrong direction,” Fauci said, via Axios.
Reuters reports that 21 states have seeing positive test rates that top the “concerning” level for the World Health Organization while the country saw a 46 percent spike in the past week. Of course, Fauci did note that 50 percent of the new cases in the United States have come from Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas, which are states that were among the first to reopen.
The 74-year-old Fauci has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and one of the most respected voices during the coronavirus pandemic. Fauci, who has advised six presidents, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2008.
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The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 128,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
