The top U.S. immunologist working on the Trump administration coronavirus task force warned members of Congress to expect the virus spread to worsen in the days and weeks to come.
Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Wednesday that “things will get worse than they are right now” as urban sites across the country move to curtail public gatherings as the number of infected continue to climb.
“We will see more cases, and things will get worse than they are right now,” Fauci told lawmakers on Capitol Hill. “How much worse we’ll get will depend on our ability to do two things: to contain the influx of people who are infected coming from the outside and the ability to contain and mitigate within our own country. Bottom line, it’s going to get worse.”
In late February, Fauci said the development of a vaccine for the virus was ahead of schedule although it could still be months before human trials begin. Critics suggested that the White House has muzzled Fauci, a claim he has repeatedly denied.
More than 4,000 people have died since the virus broke out in Wuhan, China, with over 100,000 infected globally. This week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the virus could infect 60-70% of Germany’s population.
