Whether you hear one medical expert call it “a dangerous tipping point” or another one call it “our most dangerous time,” there is little doubt that the world is approaching a perilous period with the coronavirus.
With more than 225,000 coronavirus deaths in the U.S., the country is on the cusp of colder weather and holiday gatherings that could cause a deadly surge in cases.
“We’re in a dangerous tipping point right now,” former Food and Drug Administration head Dr. Scott Gottlieb told “Face the Nation” Sunday on CBS. “We’re entering what’s going to be the steep slope of the epidemic curve.”
He does not foresee “any forceful policy happening any time soon,” meaning the numbers will grow. “If we miss this window this is going to continue to accelerate and it’s going to be more difficult to get under control,” Gottlieb told “Face the Nation.”
A similar sentiment was being shared by Andy Slavitt, the former acting administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He reads the recent rise of northern U.S. cases as an indicator for what will happen when the remainder of the nation gets colder.
“As families consider getting together for Thanksgiving, they really need to think twice about bringing their elderly parents and younger kids and college kids in contact with one another,” Slavitt told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Monday. “Because I think we’re about to go through our most dangerous time here in the U.S.”
A vaccine is not imminently available, but Gottlieb said that Americans would not have protective immunity until 2021 even if a vaccine was available by the end of the year.
Johns Hopkins University data shows there has been more than 8.6 million cases in the U.S. after a record high daily total (83,757) on Friday. There were 83,718 new cases reported on Saturday.
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