Fauci on COVID-19 Cases: ‘Really Bad Situation’ If Cases Do Not Drop to 10,000 by the Fall

Dr. Anthony Fauci is warning of a possible “really bad situation” if daily coronavirus case numbers do not drop to 10,000 by September.

During a Q&A session with the JAMA Network on Monday, Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), was asked about what could be expected in the fall.

“I do not know how and nor could anyone know what the fall is going to bring,” Fauci said.

The nation’s top infectious disease expert noted previous discussions about a possible resurgence of the coronavirus in the fall and winter months. However, he insists the United States is still “right in the middle of the first wave” due to the surge in cases over the last several weeks.

“We’ve got to get those numbers down,” Fauci said. “If we don’t get them down, then we’re going to have a really bad situation in the fall because as you get indoors and you get the complication of influenza, that’s something that we’re going to have to deal with.”

In April, the number of daily coronavirus cases reported peaked at 36,400 but that number more than doubled on July 16 when the United States reported a total of 75,697. There has been an average of 60,194 cases per day over the previous weeks in the U.S.

See Fauci’s remarks below (starting at 23:00):

When asked about the possibility of preventative measures to mitigate the spread of the virus, Fauci admitted that a second “pause” may be needed. However, he did not advise a full closure.

“You may need to pause. You may need to drop back a little bit,” Fauci recommended for states facing significant spikes. “I don’t think you necessarily have to revert to going all the way back to closing.”

Over the last several weeks, more than 40 states have seen rises in coronavirus cases. Now, the United States has more than 4.8 million total cases reported with a death toll of over 158,000 and more than 2.4 million reported recoveries.