The United States is still "knee-deep" in its first wave of COVID-19 infections and must act quickly to tackle the recent surge, a health expert warned.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the number of cases before the latest outbreak had never hit a sufficient level. Officials warned of the risks of crippling hospitals in the south and west of the country.
New cases have hit historic highs in the United States, rising to around 50,000 a day. According to reports from John Hopkins University (JHU), up to three million Americans contracted the virus with more than 130,000 deaths. At least 32 states record higher rates of new cases this week, relative to priors, JHU's data added.
US still on knee-deep of first wave, Fauci says
In an interview via Facebook Live, the nation's top infectious disease expert said, "We are still knee-deep in the first wave of this. And I would say, this would not be considered a wave. It was a surge, or a resurgence of infections superimposed upon a baseline."
Fauci, speaking online with the National Institutes of Health, has linked some of the surge in new cases to specific cities and states that may have reopened too fast.
"A series of circumstances associated with various states and cities trying to open up in the sense of getting back to some form of normality has led to a situation where we now have record-breaking cases," Fauci said in the chat with NIH Director Francis Collins.
Here's what happened
However, Fauci noted that he did not merely consider the continuing increase to be a "shock" in cases. He explained there was a surge or a resurgence of infections superimposed upon a baseline.
The packed weekend holiday crowds also contributed to that surge, resulting in a shortage of hospital beds and threatening to infect others and set the economy even further back. The virus is known for how infectious it is - and how quickly without symptoms, people can infect others.
The increase in cases also affected the processing period to get Covid-19 test results. In a statement, Quest Diagnostics said Monday results now take an average of four to six days, whereas it was two to three days in early June. Likewise, LabCorp had told CNN that its results will take two to four days when it took one to two days.
During Monday's same livestream with Fauci, Dr. Collins told Americans that the nation would get through the pandemic.
"We just need all of the people in America to have that confidence. Keep your optimism, keep your hope and do the right thing," Collins said. He reiterated that people need to continue sticking with the recommendations of wearing masks, social distancing, frequent hand washing, and avoiding cramped spaces indoors.
More than 130,000 Americans have died from the disease, and some survivors have long-term complications. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, silent transmission through asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic cases is a possible factor in the rapid spread.
