In an interview broadcast live on ABC News’ Instagram on Wednesday, Fauci said that he and Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coordinator at the coronavirus task force, delivered the warning to state governors in a private phone call on Tuesday.
He said Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana are among the states that are beginning to show a subtle increase in “positive percentages” – the percentage of all tests with positive results.
That’s “an infallible clue that you may be having the same kinds of problems with states that southern states had problems with,” said Jennifer Ashton, chief medical correspondent for ABC News.
Fauci said he and Birx “stressed” in the call with the governors that these states should pressure residents to wear masks, avoid crowds, avoid bars, and wash their hands.
“If we do that, hopefully we will prevent many other states from becoming like the southern states,” he said.
Fauci’s warning comes after cases increased this summer, particularly in places like Texas, Florida, and Arizona. The death count in the United States on Wednesday reached 150,000, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University.
In his interview, Fauci said Asian and European countries fared better to control transmission rates in part because they were so firm in closing this spring. Fauci has estimated that only about half of the US stayed home, allowing the virus to continue infecting people at exponential rates and overwhelming many hospitals, particularly across the South.
The current US rate of 50,000 to 60,000 per day “is still not optimal,” he said.
In schools, Fauci, whose daughter is a teacher, reiterated her position that everything possible should be done to reopen schools, but that doing so may not be realistic in areas where the virus is at its peak.
“I don’t think there is a one size fits all here,” he said. “I think we should be careful with the main thought, we want to try our best to get the kids back to school.”
When asked about his own exercise regimen, Fauci, who turns 80 in December, said he still likes to run despite work hours that extend well into the night. He said he usually gets up at 5 am every morning, drinks juice or eggs, and drinks two “very strong” double espresso while boarding his email.
He says he often works well at night.
“Sleeping is the only thing that really suffered in all of this,” he said.
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