- Harvard doctor Ashish Jha believes that the coronavirus pandemic will get a lot worse this fall once the flu season begins.
- Especially in southern states that are already seeing a record number of new coronavirus cases, Jha says that hospitals may soon be overrun and unable to take care of all patients who need care.
- The number of coronavirus cases in the United States recently surpassed 4 million.
A quick look at coronavirus data in the United States makes it plainly clear which states handled the pandemic correctly and which states completely dropped the ball. Take New York, for example. Early on, it’s no secret that New York was the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. New York, however, was quick to implement a number of coronavirus safety measures that were strictly enforced and adhered to by the public at large. The end result is that the number of new coronavirus cases in the state peaked all the way back in mid-April.
On the other side of the coin, you have states like Florida, Texas, and Arizona that were much more lax about implementing measures designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. As a prime example, you might recall how masses of students in Florida spent their Spring Break in March partying en masse as if the coronavirus wasn’t even an issue. Flash forward to July and the number of new coronavirus cases in these states is skyrocketing. Just a few weeks ago, for example, Florida reported more than 15,000 new coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period.
The end result is that the United States is something of a country divided when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. Whereas COVID-19 is on the decline in some areas, it’s thriving in others.
In light of that, Harvard Doctor Ashish Jha recently told The New York Times that things are liable to get even more dire once fall rolls around and flu season kicks into high gear.
“I would not be surprised if what we have is two countries,” Jah explained, “one which is neck-deep in coronavirus, its hospitals overwhelmed, and another part of the country that is struggling a little, but largely doing OK with their economy.”
Jha’s prediction is frightening if only because it’s already starting to come true in some areas. In Texas, for example, some county hospitals have been so overwhelmed with new COVID-19 patients that they will no longer admit patients who are deemed to have a low risk of survival.
Notably, Jha’s prediction that the coronavirus pandemic will only get worse once fall comes around is echoed by other health professionals. Just about a week ago, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the devastation from the coronavirus pandemic could rival that of the Spanish Flu which killed tens of millions of people in the early 20th century.
“If you look at the magnitude of the 1918 pandemic where anywhere from 50 to 75 to 100 million people globally died,” Fauci said, “that was the mother of all pandemics and truly historic. I hope we don’t even approach that with [COVID-19] but it does have the makings of, the possibility of approaching that in seriousness.”
The only bright spot amid this discouraging news is that early clinical trials on potential coronavirus vaccine candidates have been promising.
