Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious diseases expert, on Wednesday said the U.S. can prevent disastrous effects from a potential “second wave” of the coronavirus with proper mitigation measures in place.
“We can prevent this second wave,” Dr. Fauci said on CNN. “It could happen, but it is not inevitable.”
Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stressed the need for things like proper contact tracing and isolation efforts for things to pan out as hoped.
He also said it’s possible there will be a vaccine by the end of the year, but cautioned that there are a lot of “land mines” and “hiccups” standing in the way of that accelerated time frame.
He said recent images of frolicking crowds of people who weren’t wearing protective masks were “very troubling” and that associated adverse effects might not show up for weeks.
“That’s not prudent, and that’s inviting a situation that could get out of” control, he said. “We are going to see upticks of cases even under the best of circumstances.”
There are more than 1.6 million positive coronavirus cases and more than 98,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S., but cases and other related trends have started to flatten in many areas as more states relax restrictions.
Dr. Fauci suggested that members of the public cover their faces when venturing out, which is in line with official federal guidance.
“I want to protect myself and protect others and also because I want to make it be a symbol for people to see that that’s the kind of thing you should be doing,” he said.
Mask requirements have become something of a political proving ground amid the pandemic, with President Trump declining to wear a mask in public for the most part.
Likely Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden recently accused Mr. Trump of stoking deaths with his stance on masks.
Dr. Fauci also weighed in on hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug Mr. Trump recently took as an apparent preventative measure against the coronavirus. France recently banned hospitals from giving the drug to COVID-19 patients.
“I’m not so sure it should be banned, but clearly the scientific data is really quite evident now about the lack of efficacy for it,” he said, also pointing to potential adverse effects.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.