Fauci: 'Different ballgame' if coronavirus returns

A key member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force on Monday said that that given the transmissibility of the coronavirus, he expects it to return in a different season, but added that it would be a "totally different ballgame."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Insitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the ability to identify, test, isolate and contact trace "will be orders of magnitude better than what it was just a couple of months ago."

Fauci also said he hopes one or more therapeutic interventions that are now in clinical trials might be available.  And he said a vaccine is possible within a year to a year and a half.

Fauci's comments come on a day when New York's governor issued an urgent appeal for medical volunteers amid a “staggering” number of deaths from the coronavirus, as he and health officials warned that the crisis unfolding in New York City is just a preview of what other communities across the U.S. could soon face.

The U.S. reported nearly 160,000 infections and over 2,900 deaths, with New York City the nation's worst hot spot, but with New Orleans, Detroit and other cities also seeing alarming clusters.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia.