Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the country’s top infectious disease experts, explained why the United States will likely see a surge in COVID-19 cases.
What did Fauci say about a new COVID-19 surge?
Fauci said on ”Face the Nation” over the weekend that COVID-19 cases have plateaued in recent weeks and now cases may rise because of it.
- “When you’re coming down from a big peak and you reach a point and start to plateau, once you stay at that plateau, you’re really in danger of a surge coming up,” Fauci said. “And unfortunately, that’s what we’re starting to see.”
- Fauci said a plateau from a high infection rate will lead to “a risk” of COVID-19 cases jumping.
- He added that it’s “premature” for states to reopen fully during the pandemic.
We’re already seeing signs of a COVID-19 surge.
- Florida has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases recently, especially among younger people. The jump in cases came during the same time as spring break, which could be a reason for the jump, according to The New York Times.
- New York and New Jersey have reported a jump in coronavirus case rates recently, too. This is likely due to loosened restrictions, according to The Associated Press.
Is everyone hit by the COVID-19 surge?
Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told CNN that the surge is mostly impacting young people since older people are heavily vaccinated against COVID-19 right now.
- “People over 65, a large proportion of them, have been vaccinated, are protected. That’s one of the reasons we have not seen a huge spike in hospitalizations,” Jha told CNN. “A lot of the spread is happening among younger people ... that’s the group that is moving around, kind of relaxing, getting infected.”