As officials warn that the U.S. should brace for its most difficult week yet in the coronavirus outbreak, Admiral Brett Giroir on Monday said another “peak” could be coming down the road if people don’t continue to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
“Even though we say this is going to be the peak, if we let our foot off the gas and start doing things that are ill-advised we could have another peak in a few weeks. So we have to completely keep our efforts going,” Adm. Giroir, MD, said on NBC’s “Today” show.
Adm. Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, said this week will likely be the “peak” for hot spots like New York, New Jersey, and Detroit.
“Now remember: this is the peak week for hospitalizations and of course for deaths. This reflects infections that occurred two or even three weeks ago,” he said.
“So we may be seeing the worst upon us right now in terms of the outcomes, but that still could be consistent and we believe we’re turning the corner because of all the physical distancing that we’re doing,” he said.
President Trump has extended federal guidance until April 30 saying that people should stay at home if they can and avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people.
In a reversal from past guidance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also now suggesting that the general population cover their faces in public, saying that wearing cloth masks could prevent asymptomatic people from unwittingly transmitting the virus to others.
There are now more than 337,000 coronavirus cases in the U.S. and more than 9,600 deaths, according to a tracker from Johns Hopkins University. It’s estimated that more than 17,500 people in the United States have recovered.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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