Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration chief, recently said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that current models show the novel coronavirus could surge again — especially if the U.S. population only has 75% of people vaccinated.
What will COVID-19 look like this fall?
Gottlieb said a current estimate model shows COVID-19 infections rising to be about 20% of winter 2020’s number of infections. He said that was an “aggressive estimate” and he doesn’t expect it “be quite that dire.”
- There aren’t clear numbers about how many COVID-19 cases came from winter 2020. But, if you remember, the U.S. was averaging about 300,000 cases per day, NBC News reports. There were about 11,000 cases per day last week.
- However, Gottlieb said unvaccinated people remain at high risk for getting infected, according to The Washington Post.
Gottlieb said there should be a second push for vaccinations closer to the fall when people are getting ready to return to school or work, The Washington Post reports. People might be open to getting shots in the fall, too, he said.
How can the U.S. avoid a fall COVID-19 surge?
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House chief infectious disease expert, said the U.S. could avoid such a surge if more people get vaccinated, as I wrote for the Deseret News.
- “If we get to the president’s goal — which I believe we will attain — of 70% of people getting at least one dose, adults that is, by July 4, there will be enough protection in the community that I really don’t foresee there being the risk of a surge,” Fauci told The Washington Post.