Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said a decline in coronavirus deaths, even when the increase in cases is likely temporary.
The concentration of new cases among younger patients, and thus the decrease in mortality, “is not likely to stay that way,” Gottlieb said on CBS ‘”Face the Nation” Sunday. “We are likely to see total daily deaths begin to rise again.”
In states that have imposed restrictions in response to the increase in cases, Gottlieb said, “action is much weaker than an order to stay home.”
“I think these states have some tough weeks ahead of them,” Gottlieb added, saying that Florida in particular “looks like they may be turning to exponential growth.”
“In the coming weeks we will think about how widespread the spread is” in various states, he said.
Gottlieb said the problem in many states may not necessarily have been a premature reopening, but an insufficient time between stages of the reopening.
“The speed of opening in some of these states … really didn’t stop between the steps of reopening long enough to see if it was having an adverse effect,” he said.
When asked about the European Union’s steps to restrict the entry of US travelers, Gottlieb added: “I think states that have crushed their epidemic will also begin to impose stricter travel restrictions,” noting to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which has instituted a quarantine period for travelers from states experiencing outbreaks.
“The easiest thing we can do is universal masking and I don’t know why we can’t … that alone could reverse the epidemic,” added the former FDA chief, noting that it was the best solution, particularly in the coming years. months.
“After about 6 or 7 months, we are going to get a vaccine or medicine … But it will be an event in 2021,” he added.
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