US CDC Director Warns of Third COVID-19 Wave in Central US

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that although the overall spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is slowing down, there is a significant concern about a third wave in the central U.S. region, which must be prevented in advance.

On the 22nd (local time), Robert Redfield, CDC Director, stated in an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association that new COVID-19 cases are not decreasing in central U.S. states such as Nebraska and Oklahoma. Director Redfield said, "If the central states do not follow the quarantine guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19, a third wave could hit," adding, "We must stop this."

The Washington Post (WP) reported based on its own data that the average number of new patients in South Dakota and North Dakota increased by 34% and 23%, respectively, over the past week, and new cases are also rising in Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, and Iowa. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine, warned that COVID-19 could resurge along with the flu season, saying, "This fall and winter will be the most challenging period."

According to the global statistics site Worldometer, as of this day, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. reached 5,833,215, with a total of 180,052 deaths. The daily confirmed cases stood at 36,712, remaining below 50,000 for a week.

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