Coronavirus Hot Spots Should Pause Reopenings, Not Shut Down Again, Fauci Now Says
SACRAMENTO (CNN/CBS13) -- States with spiking coronavirus cases, including California, still can contain them by pausing their reopening processes, rather than shutting down a second time, one of the nation's top infectious disease experts said Thursday.
Dr. Anthony Fauci's comments at an event hosted by The Hill news outlet contrast with what he said a day earlier: that states with a serious coronavirus problem "should seriously look at shutting down."
"Rather than think in terms of reverting back down to a complete shutdown, I would think we need to get the states pausing in their opening process," Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told The Hill's Editor-at-Large Steve Clemons on Thursday.
Fauci said the range of people the virus affects -- from those with no symptoms to those who end up in intensive care or die -- makes the pandemic really difficult to get under control.
"Not to be hyperbolic about it -- it really is the perfect storm and (an) infectious disease and public health person's worst nightmare. It's a spectacularly transmissible virus," he said. "The efficiency with which this transmits is really striking."
Four states that account for about 50% of new infections -- Arizona, California, Florida and Texas -- need to aggressively keep people socially distanced, including by closing bars and preventing crowds, he said.
"If we can do that consistently, I will tell you, almost certainly, you're going to see a down curve of those infections," Fauci said.
California, one of the first states to implement restrictions to stem the spread of the virus and among the slowest to lift them, is now wrestling with a worsening situation.
Sacramento county on Thursday neared closer to 5,000 overall cases, tripling its total count in a matter of weeks.
In Los Angeles, coronavirus infection rates are on the rise, and hospitalization rates have climbed to levels not seen since April, Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced in a news conference Wednesday.
The city is currently at a high level of risk and could get worse in the next week or two, said Mayor Eric Garcetti. If it does reach the next threat level, Los Angeles would likely return to a safer at home order, he said.
On Wednesday, Fauci told the Wall Street Journal that a second shutdown might be the best move for states struggling with burgeoning coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
"I think any state that is having a serious problem, that state should seriously look at shutting down," Fauci told the newspaper in a podcast.
He did say Wednesday that simple steps short of full economic lockdowns -- controlling crowds, wearing masks and doing a better job at physical distancing -- would help.
The country and some states are setting records for average daily officially reported cases, ICUs in hot spots are reaching capacity, and most states are seeing spikes, recalling the uncertainty of months ago when the virus first broke out.
