Dr. Anthony Fauci cautioned Americans that a ‘difficult time’ could overtake the U.S. come fall if the COVID-19 outbreak and flu season strike the country in tandem.
He also called for a ‘universal wearing of masks’ at schools because it could slow the virus’ spread and mitigate infections.
Fauci, a White House coronavirus task force member, made the concerning revelation during ABC News’ World News Tonight with anchor David Muir on Monday.
According to him, if Americans don’t fully embrace donning masks and social distancing, they could be faced with dual outbreaks that could inundate the country.
In July, CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield admitted that the convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the annual influenza season could become ‘one of the most difficult times that we’ve experienced in American public health.’
Dr. Anthony Fauci (pictured) said on Monday that Americans could face a ‘difficult time’ if the COVID-19 pandemic and the flu season converge this fall
‘I totally agree,’ said Dr. Fauci on Monday, adding that the country’s trajectory depends on its commitment to health guidelines.
‘If we do not do the things in a uniform way…as we get into the winter and fall, with the likelihood we’d have a convergence, we’d have a convergence of two respiratory diseases,’ said Fauci.
‘We can have a very difficult time.’
Fauci dismissed the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic will simply disappear and said people need to engage with suggested health guidelines.
‘I want to impress upon the American people in a way that’s so clear: There are things that we can do that would get the level down,’ he told World News Tonight.
‘If we go into the fall and the winter with the same situation… we will have upticks of percent positive, and then you have the inevitable surging of infection.’
Fauci: ‘If we go into the fall and the winter with the same situation… we will have upticks of percent positive, and then you have the inevitable surging of infection’ Pictured: Elementary school students wait for classes to begin in Godley, Texas
He added that there is a way to avoid the convergence, ‘but it’s not by wishful thinking.’
The CDC estimated that the flu caused between nine million and 45 million illnesses since 2010.
Similarly, the flu has resulted in as many as 810,000 hospitalizations, while 12,000 to 61,000 deaths are counted annually.
The presence of both outbreaks in the U.S., especially at a time when the coronavirus has no vaccine or cure, could be detrimental to the country.
Previously, Fauci said he hoped to see less than 10,000 cases daily in the U.S. by fall.
The Rev. Arturo Corral (center) gives communion individually, to maintain social distancing among congregants, during Mass celebrated outdoors at the historic Our Lady Queen of Angels Church
But the U.S. is recording 50,000 to 70,000 cases a day, the World Health Organization reports, with significant case spikes in hotspot states like California and Florida.
On Monday, the U.S. had amassed 5,094,338 confirmed infections and more than 163,000 deaths.
‘The way human nature is acting out there, it doesn’t seem likely [this goal will be met]. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done,’ said Fauci.
‘I don’t know how more forcefully I can make that plea to the American people. That we can open the country, we can get back to normality, if we do some simple things.’
But Fauci said he’s optimistic that the U.S. can meld together in the upcoming weeks to make a real stride of conquering coronavirus.
‘My message is one of cautious optimism and hope,’ said Fauci. ‘But I’m also very realistic to know that if we don’t do it, we’re going to continue to have this up and down.’
Fauci (pictured) also suggested a ‘universal wearing of masks’ when asked about schools reopening this fall as cases continue to surge
In the same interview, Fauci specifically pointed to face masks as an effective tool that should be utilized much more than it currently is.
‘There should be universal wearing of masks,’ said Fauci when asked about reopening schools.
‘There should be the extent possible social distancing, avoiding crowds. Outdoors [is] always better than indoors and [you should] be in a situation where you continually have the capability of washing your hands and cleaning up with sanitizers.’
In recent days, a number of schools across the country re-opened for the year amid coronavirus fears. Many scrambled to create feasible school schedules and curriculum that could be taught from home as in-person classes take effect.
The Trump administration aggressively pushed for schools to reopen, using it as an apparent sign the country is returning the normal.
But a number of staff and students have already been forced to quarantine as confirmed cases popped up within the first week of school.
Images shared earlier this week showed few students wearing masks in the crowded hallways in North Paulding High School in Georgia
Pictured: Students at Sequoyah High School change classes on the fourth day of the first week of face-to-face school in Cherokee County, Georgia
Most recently, North Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia, made national headlines when a photo taken by a student showed the hallway packed with teenagers flouting face masks and with no room for social distancing.
As a result, the school reported six students and three staff members had tested positive for COVID-19.
Fauci told World News Tonight that the photo was ‘disturbing.’
He acknowledged that rules around masks are decided at a local level, but wearing a face covering is ‘is one of five or six things that are very important in preventing the upsurge in infection and in turning around the infections that we are seeing surge.’
Under the Trump administration, face mask have became politicized in a way that hasn’t happened in other countries during the pandemic.
Several instances of mask-induced temper tantrums have been shared to social media as adults attempt to bypass mask mandates in retailers across the country.
In one instance, a California woman reportedly urinated on the floor of a California Verizon store after refusing to leave for not wearing a mask.
Fourth grade teacher Krileshia Boyd speaks to her students at Northeast Lauderdale Elementary School in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, on Monday
‘Anti-maskers’ claimed official’s insistence on wearing face masks infringed on their Constitutional rights, and many viewed Trump’s tendency to not wear one as justification.
Trump was pictured for the first time publicly wearing a face mask in July – six months into the pandemic – and told Fox News that he’s now ‘all for masks.’
But in April, he ignored advice from that Center for Disease Control and Prevention and said he likely wouldn’t wear one.
‘I don’t think I’m going to be doing it. Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens – I just don’t see it,’ he said at the time.
Last week, Trump signed four executive orders related to what he called ‘China virus relief’ during a press conference at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Saturday afternoon.
President Trump (pictured) signed four executive orders last week in regards to the COVID-19
They included a payroll tax holiday from September 1 to December 31, for employees making less than $96,000 a year; federal unemployment benefits of $400 per week retroactive to the week of August 1; a deferral of student loan payments and waiving of interest for federally held loans through December 31; and a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, likely only applicable in homes with federally backed mortgages.
It came hours after the White House signaled that Washington’s gridlock had compelled him to act as the pandemic undermined the country’s economy and the November election nears.
The sweeping moves raised legal questions about the president’s authority to take such steps, as Congress has the sole power to tax and appropriate funds.
However, the orders claim powers under the national emergency declared in March in response to the pandemic.