/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f9ef0371cba76ea54818fff/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=3600&cropY1=265&cropY2=2291&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "Fauci: U.S. Could Not ‘Be Positioned More Poorly’ For Winter And Coronavirus")
Topline
As levels of new coronavirus cases surge in the vast majority of U.S. states, Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview with the Washington Post that the U.S. is “in for a whole lot of hurt,” in the coming months and “could not be positioned more poorly” going into the fall and winter seasons.
Anthony Fauci, director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH, wears a … [+]
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Key Facts
“We’re in for a whole lot of hurt,” Fauci, the nation’s chief infectious disease official, told the newspaper. “It’s not a good situation.”
Fauci made the downbeat comments Friday, just as the U.S. detected 100,233 new infections, breaking both the American record and that of every country on earth for the highest number coronavirus cases counted in one day.
Deaths have also increased, according to health experts—former Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen said Friday that one American dies of the virus every two minutes, and that the number is only growing.
“All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors,” Fauci told the Washington Post. “You could not possibly be positioned more poorly.”
Fauci told the Washington Post “the public health aspect of the [White House coronavirus pandemic] task force has diminished greatly,” and that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his campaign are “taking [coronavirus] seriously from a public health perspective.”
Chief Critic
The Trump administration slammed Fauci for the critical comments he made about the White House’s pandemic approach during the interview. Judd Deere, a spokesperson for the president, said in a statement shared with the Washington Post that “it’s unacceptable and breaking with all norms for Dr. Fauci, a senior member of the President’s Coronavirus Taskforce … to choose three days before an election to play politics.” He added Fauci’s criticisms are “exactly what the American people have come to expect from The Swamp.”
Big Number
9,140,734. That’s how many coronavirus cases have been detected in the U.S. since the beginning of the pandemic, by far the most cases reported in any country according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. also leads in deaths attributed to the virus, with 230,626 total fatalities attributed to the virus on Sunday.
Key Background
Experts have warned since the early days of the pandemic that jumps in coronavirus could come with colder weather, as people head indoors to meet with others in less well-ventilated spaces for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Even as new cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase in the U.S., reports of Americans suffering from pandemic fatigue as the country enters its eighth month of the coronavirus crisis may lead to a slackening of social distancing compliance, experts worry.
Further Reading
‘A whole lot of hurt’: Fauci warns of covid-19 surge, offers blunt assessment of Trump’s response (The Washington Post)
Fauci Praises Biden’s Covid Precautions, Says He Avoids West Wing Due To ‘All The Infections’ (Forbes)
U.S. Shatters Record With More Than 100,000 New Covid Cases In One Day (Forbes)
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