The window is closing on ways to stem the surge in new COVID-19 cases that threaten to send parts of the United States to a second shutdown. That was the opinion of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, who made the comments on NBC Sunday Meet the press.
As cases increase across the country, companies reopening are closing again in Florida and Texas. Other states, including California, are re-imposing strict stay-at-home orders and putting off plans to open certain businesses that were slated to be the last to reopen.
However, the reopened companies cannot be entirely blamed, Azar said. “We have many communities in the states that are as reopened as these southern states, but that are not experiencing this.”
Stopping the spread has to happen soon, he added.
“So we have the tools to do this … but the window is closing,” said Azar. “We have to act, and people as individuals have to act responsibly. We need social distance. We need to wear our facial covers if we are in environments where we cannot social distance, particularly in these hot spots. “
Azar warned that many places where the coronavirus is increasing are seeing the majority of new cases among people under the age of 35, with many asymptomatic.
“We have our death rates and our hospitalization rates are the lowest in two months, but this is a very serious situation,” he said.
Why the virus is emerging with state authorities is being studied to determine why COVID-19 cases are increasing.
“We have to get to the bottom of why we are seeing these cases arise in this area, but in essence, we all possess as individuals our individual behavior to ensure that we are practicing appropriate social distancing and facial use covering when we cannot and practicing good personal hygiene and especially protecting our most vulnerable citizens. “
