Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, has suggested that the coronavirus was “allowed” to spread rampantly in the United States.
During an interview with BBC Radio’s “Today,” Fauci offered a comparison of the difference between the United States and Europe’s efforts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
Fauci noted the alarmingly high infection rates in the United States which he contributes to the swift economically-driven reopenings.
“What we’ve seen over the last several days is a spike in cases that are way beyond the worst spikes that we’ve seen,” Fauci said. “That is not good news. We’ve got to get that under control, or we risk an even greater outbreak in the United States.”
The infectious disease expert claims the United States’ partial shutdown is the biggest part of the problem compared to the “97 percent lockdown” implemented in some European nations.
Noting that the United States never managed to gain control over the coronavirus, Fauci believes the partial shutdown only “allowed the perpetuation of the outbreak.”
“That allowed the perpetuation of the outbreak that we never did get under very good control,” Fauci said, adding, “And now when you look at what happened in some of the states, all you have to do is take a look at the news at night and you see people congregating at bars without masks, congregating in different types of groups that are well beyond the recommended number.”
He continued, “What happens when you do that, and you don’t wear a mask, you get the kind of outbreaks we’re seeing.”
Fauci also admitted that he is deeply concerned about the disregard for science amid the pandemic.
“You’ve been losing this battle, haven’t you?” the BBC host asked Fauci.
“Admittedly yes, we have,” Fauci said. “We cannot give up because it appears that we’re losing the battle.”
Almost every state that opted to reopen focused on the economical distress of the country as they failed to adhere to the White House guidelines which called for a 14-day downward trajectory in cases.
Now, more than 37 states are facing significant upticks in cases. As of Thursday morning, there are more than 2.8 million known coronavirus cases in the United States.
On Wednesday, the country recorded more than 50,000 cases which marks the highest number of cases in a single day.
