CDC Cautions About Second Coronavirus Wave In Winter

Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic could combine with the annual seasonal flu in the U.S. in winter and could be more threatening.

What Happened

The coronavirus outbreak, together with the annual seasonal flu in winter, would jeopardize the U.S. healthcare system, thereby leading to a lack of required medical equipment and hospital capacity being over-utilized, Market Watch reported.

Mr. Redfield suggested that despite many states planning to reopen, residents have to be extra cautious and maintain social distancing while the federal government should ramp up testing capacity in the U.S.

As of the latest numbers, U.S. has recorded more than 800,000 Americans being infected with the COVID-19, while 43,000 is the death rate.

CDC Efforts

CDC is not only drafting detailed guidance for phased reopening measures but is also underway hiring 650 additional people as experts in order to significantly increase public health personnel in all U.S states, The Washington Post reported.

In case of an agreement between the CDC and state officials for utilizing volunteer services from Census bureau workers, the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps as an alternative workforce, along with the additional hires, they could be trained to be a part of a broad contract tracing effort.

The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials assess the requirement of 100,000 more contract tracers in all the states.

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