CDC: 75 percent of US seeing increases in COVID-19 cases in 'critical phase' of pandemic

The number of COVID-19 cases is increasing in 75 percent of the country, as the US approaches a “critical phase” of the pandemic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said Wednesday.

“Unfortunately we're seeing a distressing trend here in the United States,” Jay Butler, the CDC’s deputy director for infectious diseases, said at a media briefing at the agency's headquarters in Atlanta.

The US has confirmed more than 8.1 million cases of COVID-19, though the official number is likely much higher. 

Experts had warned all year the U.USould likely see a surge in cases in the fall and winter as the cold weather forces people to spend more time indoors.

It appears that surge is here, with the US Confirming nearly 60,000 cases a day, nearing the record high set this summer during the wave in the south. 

“I recognize that we are all getting tired of the impact that COVID-19 has had on our lives — we get tired of wearing masks but it continues to be as important as it's ever been, and I would say it's more important than ever, as we move into the fall season,” Butler said, noting that people will likely be gathering over the holidays. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director (CDC) Robert Redfield also attended the briefing, warning the US is "approaching a critical phase" in the pandemic.

Until a vaccine is available, Americans should continue following public health recommendations including wearing masks and social distancing, he said.

Butler said he is optimistic there will be one or more COVID-19 vaccines available for distribution by the end of the year, but that it would likely be a limited supply, initially reserved for people at highest risk for serious illness, including the elderly. 

It was the first public briefing the CDC had held since August, to the consternation of public health experts and officials who think the agency has been sidelined during the pandemic. 

Experts have worried about political interference within the CDC by the Trump administration as the agency presents an outlook of the pandemic that is not in line with the president’s rosier predictions. 

Trump said recently the US Is “rounding the turn” on the pandemic, a statement that is demonstrably false as the US approaches a new high in daily COVID-19 cases. 

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, a Trump appointee, defended the CDC’s response Wednesday, arguing the pandemic is too big and damaging to handle alone. 

“I think some of the people who comment are not having actually lived in or lead in this organization during this type of a crisis fail to appreciate that,” he said. 

The frustration within the CDC among career officials has grown so high that Butler reportedly told coworkers he was worried people might die “because of what we were forced to do,” referencing the agency’s watered-down guidance on attending worship services during the pandemic.

Asked about Butler’s comments Wednesday at the briefing, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, a Trump appointee, demurred.

“I’m not going to talk about my discussions internally here within CDC,” he said.

Source: The Hill

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