CDC warns 2nd wave of coronavirus could be more disastrous

Government officials must use the upcoming summer months to prepare for what lies ahead, said CDC director Robert Redfield.

By Aaron Sull, World Israel News

If a second coronavirus outbreak emerges in conjunction with next winter’s flu season it may create an even more dire set of circumstances, warned the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday.

“There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through,” CDC director Robert Redfield told The Washington Post.

“We’re going to have the flu epidemic and the coronavirus epidemic at the same time,” he said.

According to Redfield, the nation’s health-care system would not be able to handle “two respiratory outbreaks,” and government officials must use the upcoming summer months to prepare for what lies ahead.

“As stay-at-home orders are lifted, officials need to stress the continued importance of social distancing,” Redfield said. “They also need to massively scale up their ability to identify the infected through testing and find everyone they interact with thorough contact tracing.”

Meanwhile, Americans are itching for the economy to reopen.

On Tuesday, thousands of protesters took to the streets of North Carolina, Missouri, and Alabama demanding an end to state coronavirus lockdown orders and for an immediate reopening of businesses.

President Donald Trump defended the rallies during Tuesday’s coronavirus task force briefing at the White House.

“They want to get back to work,” Trump said. “They have to take care of their families. They don’t want to do this.”

On Monday, three states gave in to the pressure.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced that certain businesses, such as gyms and hair salons, can reopen this week. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee lifted his state’s stay-at-home order, and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said “non-essential” businesses, such as department stores and bookstores, could soon resume business.

Roughly 22 million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits within the past mast month, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.