Top government infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that the severity of outbreaks in several states will be determined in the next few weeks.
“Right now, the next couple of weeks are going to be critical in our ability to address those surges that we’re seeing in Florida, in Texas, in Arizona, and in other states,” Fauci said in testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “They’re not the only ones that are having difficulty.”
As for the medium term, Fauci testified that he is “cautiously optimistic” that a vaccine for the coronavirus will be ready by early 2021.
He also said that President Trump never instructed him or members of the administration tasked with responding to the coronavirus to slow down testing, an issue that arose after Trump said during a Saturday rally that he instructed his administration to slow down testing so that the United States reports fewer cases — and then Tuesday, after aides said he was joking, said that he was speaking seriously.
“None of us have ever been told to slow down on testing,” Fauci said Tuesday. “In fact, we will be doing more testing.”
Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. jumped to 775 on Tuesday, a disappointing reversal after deaths had fallen as low as 284 on Monday, according to COVID Tracking Project data. Tuesday’s tally is the highest since June 11, when 918 new deaths were reported.
A number of states appear to be seeing worsening outbreaks. As Trump made his way to Phoenix Tuesday for a rally, Arizona reported 3,593 new cases, a record high, and hospitalization rates continue to increase. California’s case count increased to 183,073 Tuesday, an increase of over 5,000 cases since Monday. Hospitalizations in California also ticked up to 5,065.
Cases in Texas increased to 5,489 Tuesday, and Florida added 3,286 new cases. The rates of tests that come back positive are climbing in Texas and Florida, reaching 12.2% and 11%, respectively, according to COVID Exit Strategy, a sign that the increase in cases reflects greater transmission of the virus rather than more testing.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom warned Tuesday that if coronavirus cases keep rising, he will consider scaling back the state’s reopening progress.
“We don’t intend to do that,” Newsom said Monday during a press conference. “We don’t want to do that. But I want to make this clear: We’re prepared to.”
Newsom added that as the state expands its testing capacity, he expects to see the number of new cases rise each day.
The European Union may block entry to American tourists due to the rise in cases in the U.S., according to the New York Times. European nations are deliberating on which countries have gotten transmission under control and should be allowed to visit, such as China as well as Cuba, Vietnam, and other developing countries.
A new Gallup survey found that the gap between Republicans’ and Democrats’ views on the coronavirus is growing. Nearly 100% of Democrats wore a mask when going outside their home in the last week, compared to 70% of Republicans. The partisan gap on practicing social distancing also grew from 12 points in mid-March to 40 points in June. Nearly 90% of Democrats said they engaged in social distancing, while fewer than 50% of Republicans said they did.
Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 tennis player in the world, and his wife Jelena have tested positive for the coronavirus. “The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested. My result is positive, just as Jelena’s, while the results of our children are negative,” Djokovic said in a statement. Over the past two weekends, Djokovic had competed in the Adria Tour, a series of charity tournaments to help the Serbian tennis federation. Three other players who participated in the tour, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric, and Viktor Troicki, have also tested positive.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will have to wear a protective mask when in public after a ruling Tuesday from a federal judge in Brazil, Renato Borelli. A lawyer sued Bolsonaro and his staff for failing to comply with new legislation instituted in the Brazilian federal district in April to fight against the spread of the coronavirus.
“The president has a constitutional obligation to follow the laws in force in the country, as well as to promote the general welfare of the people, which means taking the necessary measures to protect citizens’ right to health,” Borelli wrote.
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Tuesday it was “highly likely” that protests against police brutality contributed to the significant spike in COVID-19 cases in the city. She said several other aspects of the reopening process could be linked to the increase in cases, such as attendance at restaurants in recent weeks and larger gatherings. It is difficult to pin the cause of the spike in cases on a single factor, but Ferrer said, “The virus is not done with us.”
