Rising hospitalization rates and the number of cases in Texas and the South are indicators that the United States needs new strategies to contain the coronavirus, Dr. Peter Hotez said Tuesday.
In an interview on “America’s Newsroom” with presenter Sandra Smith, Hotez noted that while some areas, such as the Northeast’s “partial success story”, are “clearly better” than others, southern states are seeing a “very steep and very worrying climb. “
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“Especially in our large metropolitan areas: Houston, Dallas, Austin, Phoenix,” he said. “And I think we will need some new strategies to contain this virus.”
The United States is still seeing approximately 20,000 new cases per day, however there is a range from state to state.
While northeastern states like New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, which accounted for a quarter of all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., are experiencing a substantial slowdown in new cases, the southern states and California have reported record spikes in new infections
Every day for the past two weeks, Texas has set a new record for hospitalizations. According to Politico, Florida on Saturday reported a record 9,585 new cases. Arizona reported 3,591 new cases, apparently coinciding with a day-long record set earlier this week. Nevada, Georgia and South Carolina also reported a record number of cases over the weekend.
California also experienced a 40 percent increase in the past week, as Los Angeles reported a “startling” one-day increase in the second-largest city in the United States with more than 100,000 cases.
Chairs are stacked on a table inside The Rustic bar in Houston. The restaurant and bar will be limited to 50% of capacity after Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Friday that he will close the bars and reduce the restaurant’s capacity to 50%, in response to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. in Texas. (AP Photo / David J. Phillip)
During testimony Tuesday before the Senate AID Committee, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), warned that he “would not be surprised” if the United States has 100,000 new cases of coronavirus a day. “if this doesn’t change” and that “it could get very bad”.
Smith asked Hotez what could be some potential new strategies to mitigate the pandemic.
“Well, you know, we are trying to do some surgical stuff. That is the term I use, which means, you know, closing the bars, pushing back some of the restaurants, “he replied.
“The question is whether that will be appropriate or do we have to take more aggressive measures in terms of reducing contact and really trying to contain this? Why don’t the numbers look very good in terms of the level of acceleration and also the hospitalizations? and admissions to the ICU are starting to accumulate, “added Hotez.
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“So we … want to avoid a situation that New York [had] faced in March and April, “he said.
