(CNN) – A second wave of coronavirus in United States It is “inevitable,” said the nation’s leading epidemiologist, but how bad it is will depend on the progress the country is making in the coming months.
“If at that point we have implemented all the countermeasures needed to address this, we should do it reasonably well,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States. “If we don’t do it successfully, we could have a bad fall and a bad winter.”
Yes states begin to lift restrictions Too soon, Fauci says he predicts the country could see a rebound of the virus that “would take us back to the same ship we were in a few weeks ago,” adding that the country could see many more. deaths than are currently predicted.
So far, more than a million Americans have been infected with coronavirus and at least 58,355 have died. A leading model predicts that more than 72,000 people will die in the United States by early August.
Be able to detect the virus, track cases, and isolate all infected Americans They will be key factors in ensuring that the second wave is not as deadly, says Fauci.
United States continues to lag in testing, according to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The country has conducted 16.4 tests for every 1,000 people, according to the report. Spain and Italy, with the second and third largest number of cases after the United States, have performed 22.3 and 29.7 tests per 1,000 people respectively.
Fauci says the federal government needs to provide guidance and strategic assistance to help states increase the number of tests conducted. He hopes to ensure that everyone who needs an exam can take one in late May or early June.
“The truth is that we are going in the right direction,” he said. “But we need to continue to partner in a very active collaborative way with the states, we need to help them in the same way that they need to do the execution.”
This is how the reopening of some states will affect the virus numbers
In Georgia, where Governor Brian Kemp began to lift restrictions on small businesses, Like saloons and bowling alleys, last week, experts say an increase in the death toll is likely to be seen.
“There are a couple of conditions that really have to be met before social distancing restrictions can be safely lifted,” CNN medical analyst Dr. Celine Gounder said Tuesday.
Those factors include a 14-day decrease in cases and deaths, a hospital capacity for expected patients and the ability to track contact and testing, he said.
“Georgia does not meet any of the criteria,” added Gounder.
Youyang Gu, the researcher behind one of the models shared by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, projects that the number of daily deaths in Georgia will almost double in early August.
The model assumes that the physical detachment will relax a little as the state continues to reopen. The number of deaths per day in Georgia will increase from 32 deaths, on May 1, to 63 deaths, each day, before August 4, according to the model.
The researcher’s findings match what another model predicts that has often been cited by the White House.
Dr. Chris Murray, director of the University of Washington Institute for Health Measurement and Assessment, said his death toll (by August) in the United States has increased by about 7,000 since last week.
The change, Murray says, comes from longer spikes experienced by states and signs that states are becoming more active again.
Some companies in South Carolina, Alaska, and Oklahoma reopened last week. Restaurants in Tennessee opened with restrictions this week, while retail stores will open 50% of capacity on Wednesday.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that all retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters, shopping malls, museums and libraries will be able to reopen on Friday, but must remain at 25% of capacity.
Airlines will provide face masks
Since officials have recommended that Americans wear face masks in public to prevent further spread, some airlines say that will provide facial masks for passengers.
American Airlines and United Airlines said they will provide them to their passengers, starting in May.
“We are not forcing passengers to wear a face mask, however we encourage travelers to follow CDC instructions to cover their faces when social distancing is difficult,” the United Airlines spokeswoman told CNN, Nicole Carriere. “By providing the masks, we make it much easier for them to do that.”
Meanwhile, at three major airports in the New York City area, access to the terminals will be restricted to ticketed passengers, airport employees, and others who need to enter airport precincts for business, the company announced Tuesday. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The measure will apply at John F. Kennedy Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty Airport.
“Due to the changes related to the covid-19 in the activity of flights and passengers, changes in the operational footprints of airports, security protocols, cleaning and maintenance and social distancing directives, the Port Authority will temporarily limit access to terminals at the three main airports in the region, ”said the Port Authority in a statement.
– CNN’s Jen Christensen, Amanda Watts, Andy Rose, Rob Frehse and Pete Muntean contributed to this report.
– .
