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Friday, 29 March 2024

Health experts warn U.S. cities of 'trouble ahead'

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Health experts warn U.S. cities of 'trouble ahead'
Health experts warn U.S. cities of 'trouble ahead'

White House health experts are warning of a slow rise in the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus in U.S. cities such as Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Washington and urged local leaders to remain vigilant to avoid a surge.

Lisa Bernhard produced this report.

White House health experts on Thursday warned of a slow rise in the percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus in a number of major U.S. cities and urged local leaders to remain vigilant to avoid a surge.

Infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN the increase is " a predictor of trouble ahead." Cities of concern include Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Washington.

Even if most people are cautious, Fauci warned, those not wearing masks or following social distancing guidelines can keep the virus smoldering.

He stressed that everyone pull together – a message he also conveyed to Reuters in an interview this week.

“We see in our own country a great diversity in the way people approach things, a great difference in the seriousness in which they take it.

Whereas if we had a uniformity of it, and everybody rode together in the same boat, we probably would do much better.” Fauci's White House coronavirus task force colleague, Dr. Deborah Birx, identified the new areas of concern this week, saying that Baltimore and Atlanta remain at a "very high level," as well as Kansas City, Portland, Omaha and the Central Valley in California.

Birx has been traveling around the U.S. in recent weeks telling officials not to relax until the virus is under sufficient control.

Her message has often been in contrast to that of her boss, President Trump, who this week said the virus "will go away like things go away." Trump also said children are "almost immune" from COVID-19, prompting Facebook this week to take down his post containing a Fox News video clip in which he made the statement.

Facebook said the post violated its rules against sharing misinformation about the virus.

Trump on Thursday said it was possible the U.S. would have a vaccine before the November election, a far more optimistic forecast than that of health experts.

On average, 1,000 people are dying each day nationwide from COVID-19.

The U.S. death toll is now over 157,000, with 4.8 million known cases.

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