US infectious disease expert Dr. Fauci fears sharp spike in COVID-19 cases in coming weeks

United States' top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday, November 29 warned that the country may witness 'surge upon a surge' of COVID-19 infection over the coming weeks. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases further suggested that all COVID-19 related norms must be strictly adhered to and not relaxed before Christmas.

On Friday the number of new COVID-19 cases reported in the United States surpassed 200,000 for the first time while the highest previous daily count was 196,000 on November 20, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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According to reports, Dr. Fauci told the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) that "when you have the kind of inflection that we have, it doesn’t all of a sudden turn around like that. So clearly in the next few weeks, we’re going to have the same sort of thing. And perhaps even two or three weeks down the line, we may see a surge upon a surge."

In another televised program on an American channel, Dr. Fauci made similar remarks and said that it's 'not too late' for people traveling back home after Thanksgiving to help prevent the spread of the virus by wearing masks, staying distant from others, and avoiding large groups of people.

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'Light at the end of the tunnel'

While speaking about the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Fauci said the vaccines offer a "light at the end of the tunnel". Adding further, he said that President-elect Joe Biden should concentrate on distributing vaccines in an efficient and equitable way.

Dr. Fauci also said he intended to push the new administration for a rigorous testing program. Further, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss a rollout of the vaccine this week, he added.

"We likely, almost certainly, are going to be vaccinating a portion of the individuals in the first priority before the end of December, and then as we get into January and February and March, more and more," Dr. Fauci was quoted as saying by news agency Associated Press.

He also emphasised the need to understand asymptomatic transmission in the country and said that the health care workers will likely be among the first to get the vaccine. 

(With AP Inputs)

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