Dr. Fauci told us so
Premature reopenings causing bug spike
It’s déjà vu all over again. “Premature” reopening measures throughout the U.S., along with emerging COVID variants, are to blame for a recent spike in coronavirus cases, the country’s top infectious disease expert said Sunday.
The surge was foreseeable and has happened before, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“I’ve said many times … that when you’re coming down from a big peak and you reach a point and start to plateau, once you stay at that plateau, you’re really in danger of a surge coming up,” Fauci said. “And unfortunately, that’s what we’re starting to see.”
Daily new COVID cases dropped to about 50,000 per day following a holiday surge, but the number recently crept up to 60,000, according to Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
He compared the situation in the U.S. to conditions in Europe.
“Several of the countries in the European Union ... they plateaued and then started to come back,” Fauci said. Virulent new strains of coronavirus only partially account for the surges, he added.
“What we’re likely seeing is because of things like spring break and pulling back on the mitigation methods,” he said. “I believe it’s premature.”
Fauci also cautioned against air travel, even with passengers wearing masks.
“When you get to the airport, the check-in lines, the food lines for restaurants, the boarding that you see, how people sometimes can be congregating together — those are the kind of things that invariably increase the risk of getting infected,” he said.
In New York City, public restrictions have eased. Restaurants have been allowed to serve customers indoors at 50% capacity since the middle of the month and large outdoor arts venues can operate at 20% capacity.
Statewide, 64 people died of COVID on Saturday, bringing the official death toll to 40,330, according to Gov. Cuomo’s office. There were 50 deaths in the city, or 78% of the state total. Nearly half 23, were in Brooklyn.
The latest statewide COVID positivity rate was 3.52%, though it was as high as 12% in parts of the Big Apple, according to the city Health Department.
“The infection rate ... depends on what we do, and New Yorkers should continue staying safe and protecting one another as the virus continues to spread in our state,” Cuomo said in a statement.
Nearly 9 million COVID vaccines have been distributed statewide — more than a third of them in New York City — as of Sunday, according to officials.
The vaccination effort has been marred by clashes between Mayor de Blasio and Cuomo, whose ideas on when to loosen restrictions have differed.
“This momentous undertaking is far from over, and we are continuing to work with local leaders to make sure the vaccine distribution is equitable and our vaccination sites are accessible,” Cuomo said Sunday.