Fauci, Birx Voice Dire Post-Thanksgiving Warnings on COVID
Top federal officials voiced dire predictions of a nationwide post- Thanksgiving surge in COVID cases on Sunday.
“What we expect, unfortunately, as we go for the next couple of weeks into December, (is) that we might see a surge superimposed upon that surge that we’re already in,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
On Saturday, the country’s number of COVID cases for November surpassed 4 million, more than double the total for October, continuing an alarming surge in the outbreak.
President Donald Trump has largely ignored the crisis while focusing on his loss in this month’s presidential election.
Asked about the prospect of Trump urging Americans to wear masks, Fauci said: “I don’t think I have any power in that regard.”
White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx echoed Fauci’s predictions.
“We’re entering this post- Thanksgiving surge with three, four and 10 times as much disease across the country,” she said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “That’s what worries us the most … We are deeply worried about what could happen post- Thanksgiving.”
While Trump has refused to call for a nationwide use of masks, Birx said the method works.
“What we do know works is mask mandates, mask requirements,” she said. “In states that did those or mayors or counties that did that, we can see … a really significant difference in not only cases, but hospitalizations and fatalities.”
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