Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday she has a sense of “impending doom” when it comes to COVID-19 right now, according to The Associated Press.

Walensky said the pandemic isn’t over — and there’s so much left to accomplish.

  • “We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope,” she said. “But right now, I’m scared.”
  • “I’m going to lose the script, and I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom,” she said, according to The Associated Press.
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Walensky said coronavirus cases have jumped about 10% this past week compared to the week before. Hospitalization and deaths are rising, too. She said the U.S. could face a similar surge European countries faced just weeks ago if Americans don’t commit to stopping the spread.

  • “I have to share the truth, and I have to hope and trust you will listen,” she added.
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Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told CNN this week that older people may avoid the surge because they’ve been vaccinated. Younger people may be at risk, though, he said.

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  • “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.”
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