Fauci says 2nd wave of COVID-19 is ‘not inevitable’ in the fall

• Dr. Anthony Fauci has consistently warned of the lingering threat of the novel coronavirus and has acknowledged the possibility of a so-called second wave of cases in the fall and winter.
• But the US’s leading infectious-disease expert added a shade of optimism to his prognosis in a CNN interview Wednesday morning.
• “I’m feeling better about it as we go by with the weeks that go by and we see that we’re getting more and more capability of testing,” Fauci said.
• “We often talk about the possibility of a second wave, or of an outbreak when you reopen. We don’t have to accept that as an inevitability.”
• “Particularly when people start thinking about the fall, I want people to really appreciate that it could happen, but it is not inevitable. If we do the kinds of things that we’re putting in place now … we can prevent this second wave that we’re talking about.”
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Dr. Anthony Fauci seems more optimistic regarding the chances of a “second wave” of COVID-19 hitting the US by the fall.

Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious-disease expert and longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has consistently warned that the virus will linger and could come back strong in the fall or winter.

Such a pattern would fit with those of other coronaviruses as well as the 1918 influenza pandemic, which brought more damage in its second wave than in the first.

But during a CNN interview Wednesday morning, Fauci suggested the nation’s ramped-up testing capacity was changing his outlook.

“I’m feeling better about it as we go by with the weeks that go by and we see that we’re getting more and more capability of testing,” Fauci said. “The CDC is putting more of a workforce out there to help us do the kinds of identification, isolation, and contact tracing. I feel better and better that we’re capable of doing that.”

Fauci continued to emphasize that people should be vigilant and plan on the virus being strong by the fall but that the so-called second wave was preventable.

“We often talk about the possibility of a second wave, or of an outbreak when you reopen. We don’t have to accept that as an inevitability,” Fauci said. “Particularly when people start thinking about the fall, I want people to really appreciate that it could happen, but it is not inevitable.

“If we do the kinds of things that we’re putting in place now, to have the workforce, the system, and the will to do the kinds of things that are the clear and effective identification, isolation and contact tracing, we can prevent this second wave that we’re talking about.”

Fauci also spoke about the importance of wearing a mask during the pandemic.

“I want to protect myself and protect others, and also because I want to make it be a symbol for people to see that that’s the kind of thing you should be doing,” he said, adding that it showed “respect for another person.”