Director Fauci: "Second Wave of COVID-19 in the US? The First Wave Isn't Over Yet..."

Vice President Pence Claims Increase in Florida and Others Due to More Tests
Fauci Refutes... "Positive Case Rate Is Also Rising"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, asserted that the United States is still in the midst of the first wave of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Although there is talk of a second wave in the U.S., the first wave has not yet ended.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 16th (local time), Dr. Fauci said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), "People are talking about a second wave, but we have not yet emerged from the first wave." The possibility of a second wave was raised as new COVID-19 cases increased in some parts of the U.S. recently. However, Dr. Fauci indicated that it is inappropriate to discuss a second wave while the first wave has not yet ended.

Currently, new COVID-19 cases are rising in states such as California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida. In particular, Texas recorded the highest number of new cases on this day. This contrasts with some areas like New York, where the number of COVID-19 cases had been increasing but recently showed signs of decline.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have explained the recent increase in cases as a result of expanded COVID-19 testing capacity in the U.S. Earlier, Vice President Pence wrote an op-ed for the WSJ claiming that the second wave of COVID-19 was "exaggerated" and that the Trump administration's response to COVID-19 was "successful."

Dr. Fauci expressed a differing view on Vice President Pence’s op-ed during the interview. He said, "The rising positivity rate of COVID-19 cases in some areas cannot be explained solely by increased testing." If the increase in positive cases were simply due to more testing, as Pence claimed, the positivity rate relative to the number of tests conducted should be low, but that is not the case.

Dr. Fauci also urged Americans to remain cautious regarding COVID-19. He warned, "Gathering in places like bars when the situation clearly indicates that it should not be done is very dangerous."

Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci, who participated in the White House’s COVID-19 response task force, revealed that he has not had a recent meeting with President Trump. The meeting two weeks ago was the most recent one Dr. Fauci had with President Trump.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.