Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, pictured here in 2016
Missouri is one of seven states that is at a risk for a “surging” in COVID-19 cases, warns Dr. Anthony Fauci in an interview this week with Bloomberg.
Dr. Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the country, lists Missouri alongside North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Indiana and Illinois as states that are at risk for a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases based on current rising numbers.
“Those states are starting to see an increase in the percent positive of their testing,” Dr. Fauci told Bloomberg, “That is generally predictive that there’s going to be a problem.”
As many Missourians will remember, Memorial Day weekend earlier this year proved to be a social distancing disaster, with hundreds of people partying at the Lake of the Ozarks in such dangerous conditions that St. Louis County issued a travel advisory requesting two weeks of self-quarantine for those who participated.
And now this weekend will bring people increasingly desperate for fun out to end-of-summer ragers at bars, on boats and in backyards all across the state. This, combined with the more than 7,000 college-age people in Missouri who have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past three weeks seems like it could be a recipe for disaster.
“If we’re careless about it, then we could wind up with a surge following Labor Day,” Dr. Fauci said in the interview. “It really depends on how we behave as a country.”
Well, if the past six months of this pandemic is any indication, then no, we really don’t know how to behave as a country. Buckle up, everybody.
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