Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is suggesting it may already be too late for the United States to contain its coronavirus outbreak.
During an interview with Dr. Howard Bauchner of The Journal of the American Medical Association, Schuchat detailed her concerns about the accelerated spread of the coronavirus in the United States.
Over the last seven days, the U.S. has seen sharp increases in the number of new cases being reported each day. In fact, the new infection rate being reported recently outpaced previous records set in April.
According to Schuchat, the U.S. has “too much virus” nationwide.
“We’re not in the situation of New Zealand or Singapore or Korea where a new case is rapidly identified and all the contacts are traced and people are isolated who are sick and people who are exposed are quarantined and they can keep things under control,” Schuchat said. “We have way too much virus across the country for that right now, so it’s very discouraging.”
Schuchat also admitted she believes the recent spike in coronavirus cases “is really the beginning,” Schuchat said.
“I think there was a lot of wishful thinking around the country that, hey it’s summer. Everything’s going to be fine,” Schuchat said. “We’re over this and we are not even beginning to be over this. There are a lot of worrisome factors about the last week or so.”
Schuchat’s concerns follow various reports about the uptick in coronavirus cases, mostly in the Southern and Western regions in the United States.
Despite substantial increases in the coronavirus infection rate, President Donald Trump has not worn a mask in public. However, White House press secretary said on Monday that it is Trump’s “choice to wear a mask.”
She added, “He encourages people to make whatever decision is best for their safety, but he did say to me he has no problem with masks, and to do whatever your local jurisdiction requests of you.”
As of Tuesday morning, more than 2.6 million coronavirus cases have been identified in the United States.