A key member of the White House Task Force, Dr. Anthony Fauci told Congress on Tuesday that some states are reopening businesses prematurely. As a result, these states could witness additional outbreaks of the diseases, particularly among the most vulnerable population.
Fauci associated a slew of dangers with reopening economies too soon without first taking adequate precautions. Reopening too soon without extensive testing and contact tracing methods will lead to uncontrollable outbreaks. Aside from leading to suffering and deaths, new hot spots could also hinder attempts to recover local economies.
There are over a hundred of vaccines under development; however, it remains to be seen whether or not these vaccines will actually prove to be effective. There also is a possibility that it could backfire and end up making the virus more powerful.
As Fauci presents his remote testimony, coronavirus continues to tighten its deadly grip on American people. The pathogen has infected over 1.3 million people and claimed about 80,684 lives as of Apr. 12, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Since some infections are not detected, experts believe the real number of U.S. cases and deaths could be much higher.
Paying no heed to projections that suggest prematurely reopening businesses could lead to a constant rise in the number of cases, as well as deaths over the next couple of weeks, some states are lifting their stay at home orders and allowing businesses to reopen. Fauci, who is under self-quarantine testified from an office.
In his testimony, Fauci said he is worried that some states are lifting social distancing restrictions despite experiencing a steady rise in COVID-19 cases. The White House outlined a strategy that enables states to reopen local businesses as cases and hospitalization reduce and testing increases, among a slew of other “checkpoints.”
At a hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Fauci said he is worried that some areas, cities, and states that have jumped over the aforesaid checkpoints and are gearing up to reopen prematurely without first making sure it is ready to respond effectively and efficiently, could trigger little spikes that are eventually going to turn into outbreaks. Fauci also repeated his appeal for the vaccine as essential to stopping the virus from spreading.
While he is confident that they would come up with a workable candidate, Fauci warned about the potential hazards of developing a vaccine. According to the top U.S. infectious disease expert, it is highly unlikely that one would be ready for the next school year.