Published 11:01 IST, June 15th 2020
Anthony Fauci says US might not witness 'second wave' of coronavirus cases
America’s top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has said that the US might not witness the ‘so-called second wave’ of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
While health experts have repeatedly warned that sudden resurgence of coronavirus infections could occur in regions where the COVID-19 cases seem to decline, America’s top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has said that the US might not witness the ‘second wave’ of the pandemic. While talking to an international media outlet in a televised interview, Fauci has said an increase in the number of people who are hospitalised is a situation that authorities must pay attention to but “it is not evitable” that there will be the “so-called ‘second wave’ in the fall”.
As the US has recorded over two million cases of coronavirus with 115,732 deaths, the director of National Insitute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and the chief US scientific spokesperson on the coronavirus outbreak has said that ‘proper approach’ to the global health crisis can prevent the upswing in the COVID-19 cases. He has also urged people to wear a facemask at all times in public spaces and maintain social distancing to prevent contraction of the novel coronavirus. Meanwhile, according to international media reports, in the past week, at least 19 states including Texas, Florida, California, Arizona have recorded an average increase in the new COVID-19 cases.
Fauci is ‘chronically fatigued’
In the same interview, Fauci, who has been reportedly sidelined in the country’s coronavirus response since April, also noted that he is ‘exhausted’ in the process of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The top US infectious disease expert said he is “chronically fatigued” and is unable to get sound sleep. Caught in the limbo of media appearances, interviews, briefings, Fauci said that he is constantly ‘breathing, talking, doing things’ hoping that he says the right things.
The 79-year-old has admitted that he likes doing his job because it is the life he has chosen for himself but noted that it is ‘exhausting’. Fauci has also revealed that he has not got a chance to sit with US President Donald Trump about his rally in Tulsa on June 19. America’s top infectious disease expert has warned that there is a risk of either contracting or spreading the fatal COVID-19 disease with the gathering. Fauci has encouraged all people who choose to attend Trump’s rally to wear a mask at all times but the “best thing” to do is to avoid crowded areas.
Updated 11:01 IST, June 15th 2020