The United State’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is raising red flags about the recent surge in coronavirus cases, particularly in southern states.
"We’re in obviously a difficult situation, " Fauci told a livestream audience organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Despite some hopeful areas, Fauci said "were we had a baseline of about 20,000 cases a day, has now gone up to 30, 40, 50, 60 and even 70 on the last count."
"I think the time has come that we really do need to take a look at what’s going on and see if we can intensify the things we do to prevent the resurgences that we’re seeing," he added.
Fauci has warned that the United States could soon endure 100,000 infections per day if it doesn’t more aggressively embrace social distancing, mask wearing and other mitigation efforts
On Thursday, the U.S. reported more than 70,000 new COVID-19 cases–a new milestone in the crisis.
The Florida Department of Health also reported 156 new coronavirus-related deaths on Thursday, the most yet in a 24-hour period. It was one of 10 states to reach a record for deaths in a single day this week, joining Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.
