The U.S. has not yet had a “true second wave” of the coronavirus and the country could see a resurgence of the virus in the fall and winter, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Friday.
“I think most people’s perception is that we had one epidemic in New York, in the New York area, we came down the epidemic curve. We had another epidemic in the Sun Belt, so that’s really similar. and feels like a second wave, “Gottlieb said on” Squawk Box. ” “I think we will have a third act of this virus in the autumn and winter and it will probably be more widespread in a wider part of the country.”
He added that the virus was likely to spread to rural parts of the country, some of which to this day are “largely unaffected.” Falls have already begun to build in the West and Midwest, Gottlieb said, adding that “every community is vulnerable.”
He said the coronavirus does not spread like the flu, which one person can pass on to two or three others, he said, but that the coronavirus is largely spread at “super-spreading events” such as large gatherings, especially indoor events. .
“Truly, an outbreak can happen anywhere,” he said.
While daily new cases have been falling steadily in the U.S. for about a month, the number of new cases reported each day remains above 40,000 and more than 1,000 people in the U.S., on average, still die every day due to Covid-19. Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr Robert Redfield said Thursday that he would bring the number of daily new cases below 10,000 and daily new deaths below 250.
He added that he expects both new cases and deaths to continue to fall as people and officials implement public health guidelines such as wearing masks, hand washing, social distance and closing bars.
“You and I will see the cases continue to decline. And then this week and next week you hope the death toll really starts to fall again.” Redfield said that Thursday in an interview with Dr. Howard Bauchner of the Journal of the American Medical Association. “I think we are starting to see a decline in mortality in the country next week as we continue to gain control over these cases.”
Redfield and others, including Gottlieb, have warned several times that the country could be in a very difficult fall and winter. Cases of Coronavirus could start to rise again, especially as cold weather forces people indoors, where the virus spreads more easily. And hospitals will have to double with the double burden of treating both Covid-19 patients and the expected seasonal impact patients.
Redfield again urged Americans on Thursday to get this year’s vaccine as soon as it is available to reduce the risk of an overwhelming flu season. Health officials are taking new steps to increase access to the vaccine. Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it has authorized pharmacists in all 50 states to provide vaccinations for children, including flu shots.
In Massachusetts, health officials said Wednesday that most students over the age of 6 months should receive a flu vaccine to enroll in classes in January. This makes Massachusetts the first state to require flu vaccination for all K-12 and students. The state expects students to receive the vaccination by Dec. 31, unless the student offers a medical or religious exemption.
Announcement: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC participant and is a member of the boards of Pfizer, genetic testing startup Tempus and biotech company Illumina. He also serves as co-chair of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ and Royal ‘Sail Panel of Royal Caribbean’.
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