Dr Anthony Fauci warned on Tuesday that the US could be in for a 'bad fall' if coronavirus treatments do not start working soon an...
Dr Anthony Fauci warned on Tuesday that the US could be in for a 'bad fall' if coronavirus treatments do not start working soon and that the killer virus is not merely going to 'disappear from the planet' when lockdowns finish.
Speaking in an interview with The Economic Club of Washington, D.C, Fauci said that it was 'inevitable' it was going to come back and that it might never fully dissipate.
It comes amid growing concern that a second wave will coincide with flu season which may topple the country's healthcare system, and as the world's science and medical communities race to find a treatment for the virus that is reliable.
'In my mind, it’s inevitable that we will have a return of the virus, or maybe even that it never went away,' Fauci said according to CNBC, adding the virus is 'not going to disappear from the planet'.
Dr. Fauci at a White House coronavirus task force briefing on Monday evening. He said on Tuesday that it was 'inevitable' the virus would rear its head again
He added that he was 'cautiously optimistic' that researchers would come up with a vaccine but he did not say how quickly he thinks they will be able to achieve it.
The treatments used so far include drugs that are ordinarily used to treat malaria and heartburn.
Neither is full proof and a vaccine is even further away. Fauci previously said he does not think a vaccine will be created for at least a year.
The government is working with biotech firm Moderna to try to fast-track a vaccine. They launched their first trial on March 16 but the results are not yet known.
Unlike other illnesses, Fauci warned 'everyone' is susceptible to COVID-19 and it is 'highly transmissible'.
Healthcare workers transport a patient from an ambulance into the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn
Despite some parts of the country reopening already, the Fauci warned opening up too soon would send the US back to the crisis it was in a few weeks ago.
'A rebound [could] get us right back in the same boat that we were in a few weeks ago,' he said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the US had more than 1million cases of coronavirus and more than 58,000 people had died.
Despite the ongoing increase in cases and deaths, several states are choosing to reopen because they have been relatively unaffected.
In New York, the worst of the US, there have been more than 17,000 deaths.
Lockdown there will remain in place for the whole state until May 15 and even longer for New York City, the epicenter of the epicenter.
Dr. Fauci has been praised as the country's voice of reason throughout the pandemic, offering calm advice and information against a backdrop of political fury from President Trump.
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