The White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, has said Sunday that the United States is now in a new phase in its fight with the novel virus.
In an interview with CNN’s State of the Union, Dr. Birx opined that the coronavirus is more widespread now than when it first entered our country.
In her view, what we see now is different from March and April. The deadly virus did not remain in the cities, but it also entered the rural, remote areas, Dr. Birx noted.
The health expert warned that people living in those areas are not immune to the virus and need to take precautions. She urged people there to wear face masks and observe strict social distancing too. According to her, the members of multi-generational households should also consider wearing masks at home.
Despite the growing criticism towards the government’s response to the pandemic, Birx argued that it is adequate. The President’s administration has left many decisions to governors, allowing them to determine whether to impose further restrictions, she highlighted.
In her opinion, each state needs a ”dramatically tailored” approach to the novel virus, depending on the local health situation.
”It is not super spreading individuals, it’s super spreading events, and we should stop those, ” she stressed.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated more than 173,000 American deaths by August 22. In an interview with the CNBC previous month, the agency’s former head, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, projected that the coronavirus death toll could double to 300,000 deaths by the year-end if the government does not change its approach.
Brix did not comment on the estimations but said that the death toll by the end of the year largely depended on the response of southern and western states as they have become hot spots for the disease.
More than 4.6 million people in the United States tested positive for COVID-19 since March. Of those who got infected, nearly 155,000 deaths have been reported. The number of hospitalizations is up nationwide, data shows.
The country confirmed twice as many average cases per day during the second half of July than it did during the virus peak in April. According to the data, at least 60,000 new cases are confirmed, and roughly 1,000 deaths are reported daily in July.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with Dr. Biox’s statement that the government should not reverse its approach to the virus?