For months, experts have been warning that the COVID-19 pandemic would go from bad to worse in the winter months if people refused to follow the guidelines recommended by health experts and the CDC, which included wearing a mask, limiting meetings and avoid travel holidays. On Tuesday, the United States reported its highest daily number of deaths from Covid-19, with more than 4,320 deaths attributed to the virus. Yet, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases spoke with Dan Mannarino from PIX11 on Wednesday, warning that the situation could worsen soon. Keep reading – and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss out on these Clear signs that you’ve had the coronavirus.
Dr. Fauci warned: “It is possible that it will get worse”
Although the COVID-19 crisis has never been worse, with infections, hospitalizations and deaths at record rates across the country, things have not necessarily bottomed out. “It is conceivable that it could get worse,” he admitted. “We hope not.”
He added that if individuals “adhere uniformly, not irregularly, but uniformly to the public health measures we are talking about – the use of uniform masks, avoiding congregational environments, people indoors meeting, keeping distance”, there is hope things will improve.
“I mean, obviously, they seem very simple, given the enormity of the problem, but we know it works, that when these public health measures have been implemented consistently, you can get control of the increase,” he continued. “It is very difficult to predict how much worse it will get. I hope I have seen the full impact of the increase.”
However, he stressed that waves are common after the times when people are traveling and meeting. “We see this after the events, whether they are July 4th, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving,” he said. “So now, if you have time, we are probably seeing the full impact of the trip, as well as the social gatherings that usually take place with family and friends during the holidays. So, I think we are probably right in the middle of it now.”
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How to survive this pandemic
As for you, follow Fauci’s fundamentals and help stop this wave, no matter where you live – use a face mask, social distance, avoid large crowds, do not go home with people you are not sheltering (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, be vaccinated when it is available to you and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 places you’re most likely to reach COVID.