Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn said the United States is nearing the peak of the coronavirus pandemic but express caution when it comes to reopening the nation’s economy.
Hahn appeared Sunday on ABC’s This Week, during which he was asked about models that indicate infections from the virus would hit the highest levels this weekend.
“The models do show that we are very close to the peak. So I think that information is accurate,” Hahn said. “This has been a really fast-moving outbreak, so we really have to take this day-by-day.”
The commissioner, who was sworn into his role last December, pointed out that the U.S. has “some of the best experts in the world” focused on combating the COVID-19 virus. He specifically singled out Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Deborah Birx, the response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
“So I think that information is accurate, but again, we have to take this day-by-day as the data [comes] in, because this has to be a data-driven approach,” Hahn said.
“The models do show that we are very close to the peak” of COVID-19 in the U.S., but we have to take it “day by day,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn tells @MarthaRaddatz. https://t.co/37q29hM48A pic.twitter.com/a1rPIsxf7P
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 12, 2020
Hahn also warned, however, that it’s still too early to determine an exact date for reopening parts of the country under stay-at-home orders that have closed nonessential businesses when asked about President Trump’s goal of May 1.
“It is a target, and obviously we’re hopeful about that target, but I think it’s just too early to be able to tell that,” he said. “We see a light at the end of the tunnel.”
President Trump is considering May 1 as a new target for opening the country, sources tell ABC News.
Asked if May 1 is a “good target,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn tells @MarthaRaddatz it’s “a target” but “it’s too early to be able to tell that.” https://t.co/37q29hM48A pic.twitter.com/g7jFLHO2cM
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 12, 2020
As of Easter Sunday, in the U.S. there have been more than 530,000 coronavirus infections and at least 20,608 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
