The coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. will face its darkest period so far over the next three to four months as cases continue to surge above 100,000 per day, a newly appointed coronavirus advisor to President-elect Joe Biden said on Monday.
“What America has to understand is that we are about to enter Covid hell,” Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center of Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told CNBC’s “Squawk Alley.” “It is happening.”
The U.S. is reporting a record-high weekly average of roughly 108,736 cases every day, growing more than 33% compared with a week ago, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The U.S. is nearing 10 million reported Covid-19 cases as of Monday, the most of any nation on the globe, according to Hopkins data. The coronavirus has killed at least 237,584 people in the country so far.
That figure has grown dramatically in recent weeks, sending the U.S. pandemic deeper into its third peak ahead of Thanksgiving and Christmas. After a summer of surging infections across America’s Sun Belt states, the country was able to suppress the average number of cases to just above 30,000 a day in early September.
After Labor Day, Osterholm said, he warned the U.S. would see an “astronomical” increase in new cases. That prediction has come true in only a matter of weeks, he said, adding that “this number is going to continue to increase substantially.”
“We have not even come close to the peak and, as such, our hospitals are now being overrun,” Osterholm said. “The next three to four months are going to be, by far, the darkest of the pandemic.”
And while Pfizer’s early Covid-19 vaccine data showing more than 90% effectiveness is “a great, great finding,” Osterholm said that more data is needed to understand how effective the vaccine is in preventing serious illness and death versus more mild symptoms.
“Until we have those pieces of information, we can’t really know how much of a game changer this really is,” he said.
On Monday, Biden’s transition team announced the handful of members, including Osterholm, who will consult with state and local leaders to help steer the federal response once the president-elect takes office on Jan. 20.
The task force will be co-chaired by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith of Yale University, according to the announcement.
Osterholm’s concern about the looming winter months echo that of Biden, who also said on Monday that the U.S. is “still facing a very dark winter” while urging Americans to wear a face mask.
“It’s clear that this vaccine, even if approved, will not be widely available for many months yet to come,” Biden said. “The challenge before us right now is still immense and growing.”
If we want the number of Covid19 “cases” to reduce, stop testing, it’ll be like “magic”……. I’d really like to know the demographics of those people who wait in line, in their cars, to be tested. Are they the same returning fools? Or is there a fresh supply of dummies, day after day? (keep in mind that nutty Americans salivate over anything “free”. keep in mind “let’s make a deal” or “The Price is Right”) I’d also like to know how big medicine will account for the decline in cancer, diabetes, or accident deaths in future statistics, unless they are allowed to have their cake and eat it too (list deaths from multiple causes) These evil creeps in charge have been preparing this for years but sooner or later, one would think, that the average person has to realize they are being screwed,….don’t they? Are we so far dumbed down, that we just can’t apply even the slightest bit common sense anymore? WTF?
Actually, Mr. Biden, the ones about to enter hell are you and your Kammy Commie “presidential team.” Y’all are about to make Frumpy Tweety Trump look actually “presidential”….Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaha
Osterholm “wants a national lockdown to combat the pandemic.”:
https://www.rt.com/usa/506308-biden-covid19-advisor-lockdown/
NATIONAL LOCKDOWN!!!!!!!!!!!
.
“We have not even come close to the peak and, as such, our hospitals are now being overrun,” Osterholm said.“
WHAT HOSPITALS??!!!!!!! WHERE??!!!
Stop exaggerating and overblowing something that’s not there!
You make it sound like I can’t even get near a hospital because there are lines out the door or something. Go to any hospital in my area. It’s a friggin ghost town or a normal day at the office, so I don’t know where the f@$k you’re getting your information from!
Enough with the fearmongering bullshit!!!!