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USA: debate on reopening 2:11
(CNN) - A return to normal after the covid-19 pandemic could come within a year, but people need to lower their expectations for typical summer travel and activities, Dr. Anthony Fauci told the British newspaper The Telegraph. in a story published on Sunday.
This estimate comes just after a week in which cases in the U.S. exceeded 2 million. Cases have increased in 18 states in the past week, and six states reported a jump of more than 50%. This has led some government and health officials to linger on reopening efforts.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, more than 115,000 people have died from covid-19 in the United States until early Monday morning.
"It's going to be really wait and see," said Fauci. "My sense, looking at what's happening with the infection rate, is that I think it's more likely to be measured in months rather than weeks," he said, referring to the timeline for reducing restrictions.
As health experts continue to learn more about the virus, it is clear that a time frame for when the situation will be considered under control is still unknown.
They denounce death of health personnel in Nicaragua 2:53Hospitalizations in some states
The number of hospitalizations, a key indicator for measuring the impact of the virus, has increased in some states, including Texas and Oregon. Authorities say their systems are being impacted again by the virus.
In Phoenix, Mayor Kate Gallego said she was concerned about hospital capacity as the number of cases continues to grow.
“From my point of view, we have had far more covid-19 registrations than we would have liked. We open too early and that's why our hospitals are really in trouble, ”Gallego said during a panel discussion last week.
At least four states, Arkansas, Alabama, Oregon, and South Carolina, have also reported more daily cases recently.
Fauci said Friday that the large increase in cases was not necessarily a "second spike," adding that an anticipated "second wave" in the fall could be avoided if the upticks as seen this week are handled properly.
"It is not inevitable that we will have a so-called 'second wave' in the fall or even a massive surge if you approach it in the right way," Fauci said. "However, when you start to see increases in hospitalization, it's a safe situation that you need to pay close attention to."
The covid-19 almost closed this company, but the plexiglass saved them 2:56Impact of protests on case numbers
Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced Friday that the state needed to pause further reopens and that it would not review any new county requests to move to the next phase for at least seven days due to recent spikes in the cases. The number of recently reported cases increased by 75% in the same time period, said Oregon Health Authority director Pat Allen.
But he said it was too early to know whether the recent protests contributed to the new cases. He added that they are currently tracking contacts and trying to determine when and how the new infected contracted the virus.
Governor Brown noted that the link to the protests would be an unlikely source for all cases, since the increase was both rural and urban.
Despite the fact that no one has directly linked the recent increase in cases to protests across the country, given the activities involved in some of the protests, Fauci warned participants to wear face protection when possible.
"I would say that in a stage job, people should not congregate in a crowd and demonstrate," Fauci said, noting that people will continue to meet despite warnings from health officials.
"If you're going to do it, don't take off your mask when you're singing and screaming, and doing anything else at a demonstration," he said.
Fauci and other officials have urged attendees to get tested, and some health agencies offer free coronavirus tests to protesters.
Recommendations to stop the spread
As new cases appear, some municipalities have decided to cancel large meetings to make sure that people do not put themselves or others at risk.
Chicago canceled all the big outdoor events for the summer, including Lollapalooza and the Chicago Jazz Festival.
In South Carolina, where cases have doubled daily in certain areas since Memorial Day weekend, Myrtle Beach, Folly Beach, Patriots Point, North Charleston and Isle of Palms announced the cancellation of July 4 events. like fireworks in light of the increase in cases.
For those who have already been exposed, the CDC now recommends that anyone in contact with a positive case be tested, even if they do not have any symptoms.
Another way to continue protecting yourself and others is to wear a mask. On Sunday, the director general of Health of EE. USA He rejected the idea that wearing masks stripped Americans of their freedom and insisted that it provided more freedom.
"Some feel that face shields violate their freedom of choice, but if we use them more, we will have MORE freedom to go outside," said Dr. Jerome Adams.
LOOK: Coronavirus June 15, minute by minute: More than 7.9 million cases of covid-19 have been recorded worldwide
Fauci expressed optimism in his interview published Sunday about a vaccine, or several vaccines, that could soon be successful. "We have potential vaccines that are making significant progress. We have maybe four or five, "he said.
"You can never guarantee success with a vaccine, it is silly to do it, there are so many possibilities that things will go wrong," he explained. "(But) with everything we've seen in the first results, it's conceivable that we get two or three vaccines that are successful."
While scientists continue to work on a possible vaccine against the virus, senior health officials continue to encourage social distancing, frequent hygiene practices, and the use of face covers to mitigate transmission.
CNN's Chris Boyette, Jennifer Henderson, Pamela Wessmann, Arman Azad, Tina Burnside, Kay Jones, and Jamiel Lynch contributed to this report.