- Dr. Anthony Fauci believes the United States could see a drastic reduction in new coronavirus cases by November if people start following basic safety guidelines.
- Fauci previously said the U.S. will be in a lot of trouble if the number of new coronavirus cases doesn’t drop below 10,000/day by November.
- The U.S. has seen nearly 5 million coronavirus cases since the pandemic began earlier this year.
During a recent interview with CNN, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that there’s a chance we could see the number of coronavirus cases drop down dramatically by November. Getting to that point, Fauci stressed, will require the public at large to adhere to basic coronavirus safety guidelines like social distancing and mask-wearing. And while that seems achievable at first glance, the fact that mask-wearing has become a divisive political issue tends to suggest otherwise.
“It’s up to us,” Fauci said in remarks picked up by The Hill. “It’s really in our hands. I really do believe based on the data we see in other countries and in the United States, in states and cities and counties that have done it correctly, that if we pay attention to the fundamental tenets of infection control and diminution of transmission, we could be way down in November. It is entirely conceivable.”
As Fauci intimated, we’ve already seen how strict coronavirus safety measures can drastically reduce the number of new coronavirus cases. Italy, for example, was an epicenter for the coronavirus just a few months ago. Today, the number of new coronavirus cases in Italy is somewhere in the 200-400 range. And as a point of contrast, it wasn’t that long ago that Florida alone saw more than 15,000 new coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period.
If the entire country pulls together and starts following safety directives, Fauci said there’s no reason why we won’t be able to see the number of coronavirus cases go way down. This, though, could prove to be challenging given that states have re-opened en masse and people seem to be going about their lives as if the coronavirus isn’t still a threat.
In light of that, Fauci recently outlined eight activities people should avoid partaking in if they want to help contain the coronavirus and reduce the odds they contract it. That list includes the following:
- Indoor gatherings
- Outdoor gatherings
- Bars
- Restaurants
- Air Travel
- Public Transportation
- Going to the Gym
- Sharing food
Earlier in the week, Fauci said that following coronavirus safety guidelines is more important than ever given that fall is right around the corner. The colder weather, along with flu season, could result in a significant spike in coronavirus infections if we don’t get the number of new cases down ahead of time. Fauci specifically said that the United States could be in for a world of trouble if the number of new cases doesn’t drop down below 10,000 by the time fall rolls around.
“You look at our numbers now,” Fauci said, and “we’re right in the middle of the first wave here. We’re having a surging of cases. The last ones with 50-60,000 per day with 1,000 deaths per day. We’ve got to get those numbers down. And 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 we’re going to have to deal with.”
It’s worth noting that Fauci believes we can see progress without having to shut down the country again.
“I think we can get through this without having to revert back to a shutdown if Americans uniformly wear masks, physically distance, avoid crowds and follow hand-hygiene recommendations,” Fauci said on the Pulse Check podcast this week. “When you have a weak link, then the whole system is unsuccessful.”
To date, the United States has seen nearly 5 million coronavirus cases and 160,000 deaths as a result.
