Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a recent panel discussion that Americans should prepare for a few tough months ahead when battling the coronavirus this fall.
What’s going on:
Fauci spoke at a panel discussion of doctors from Harvard Medical School. He said the flu season could create a difficult fall.
- “We need to hunker down and get through this fall and winter because it’s not going to be easy.”
He added that America shouldn’t underestimate the power of a pandemic.
- “We’ve been through this before. Don’t ever, ever underestimate the potential of the pandemic. And don’t try and look at the rosy side of things.”
A look ahead of the fall
There aren’t a lot of positive outlooks on the coming fall season since common cold, the flu and the novel coronavirus will all be hanging around as possible illnesses for Americans.
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said working now to defeat COVID-19 could help ease the burden of the fall.
- “For your country right now and for the war that we’re in against COVID-19, I’m asking you to do four simple things: wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands and be smart about crowds.”
- “I’m not asking some of America to do it. We all gotta do it.”
Dr. William Schaffner, Vanderbilt University infectious disease specialist, told CNBC that Labor Day weekend might set America off on the wrong foot the fall.
- “This is another holiday and we will see what the general population does, how careful they are or how carefree they are. I have a fair amount of trepidation, frankly, because it looks as though a very substantial portion of our population wants to be out and about very freely in groups, without masks, not paying attention to social distancing.”