Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Wednesday warned that the coronavirus could keep returning as a “seasonal, cyclic thing,” like the flu.
"The reason I say that is that what we're starting to see now, in the Southern Hemisphere ... is that we're having cases that are appearing at they go into their winter season. And if, in fact, they have a substantial outbreak, it will be inevitable that we need to be prepared that we'll get a cycle around the second time," said Fauci.
Additionally, Fauci said the U.S. needs to develop a vaccine and test it quickly so it will be available for the next cycle as well as a “menu of drugs that we have shown to be effective and shown to be safe.”
“I know we'll be successful in putting this thing down now, but we really need to be prepared for another cycle,” Fauci said during a press briefing at the White House.
“And what we're doing, I believe, will prepare us well.”
Dr. Deborah Birx, the response coordinator for the coronavirus task force, echoed Fauci's assessment.
“We're dealing with Cycle A right now,” Birx said.
More than 64,000 coronavirus cases have been reported across the U.S. and Washington, D.C., and killed at least 920.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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