“I think the darkest days of the pandemic are yet to come, and I share that because of the new variants, these new mutant viruses that are certainly causing a challenge,” said Dr. Osterholm during a meeting at Minnesota House Health Finance and Policy Committee.
Dr. Osterholm is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and a nationally recognized expert. He was also selected to serve on President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Task Force.
He said the new variants in the UK, Brazil and South Africa have mutations that cause more transmission and may also negate the protection of the antibody in people who have had the virus or been vaccinated.
“This is a story that leaves us all suspended. We are trying to understand what is going on,” said Osterholm.
He said there is growing concern about the UK strain that is now circulating in the U.S.
“This created a great deal of confusion across Europe, where, in fact, the only thing that basically put him under control was that terrible word, but a complete block, closing almost everything,” said Dr. Osterholm.
It is block 3 for England, at least 6 weeks at home
He said he believes the US is in the ‘early stages’ of trying something similar with the UK variant.
“I think we have a real chance of seeing a huge increase in cases this fall in early winter here in Minnesota and across the United States with this B117 strain, that if we do that, I am convinced that it will be much more serious than any thing we’ve seen so far, “said Dr. Osterholm.
Dr. Osterholm told lawmakers that it may be time to rethink our vaccine strategy and go with a ‘first dose only’ approach, so that more people over 65 can have at least some protection right away. He said it would require postponing second doses until summer.
He said the idea is being considered ‘at the national level’. He believes the strategy would help to reduce the infection baseline in the U.S.
“I can say that we will have another outbreak and, when it happens, the lower we start, the better we will be,” said Dr. Osterholm.