U.S. May Be Headed for a ‘Full-Blown’ COVID-19 Outbreak: How to Prepare

Experts have voiced concerns that the recent spike in COVID-19 cases could indicate the United States is heading toward a “full-blown” outbreak.
In some states, the number of people who are getting sick and going to the hospital has exponentially increased.
A number of hospitals in some counties are at, or near, ICU capacity, meaning they can’t admit additional patients.
Experts say maintaining good hygiene, physical distancing, and wearing face masks are the best way to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

More than 130,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19, and more than 3 million people have had an infection, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, which tracks the virus worldwide.

Hot spots in the South and West have helped the United States maintain its global COVID-19 lead, with confirmed cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continuing to rise even as other countries see their numbers dropping.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Monday that the coronavirus situation in the United States is “really not good,” and more work is needed to slow the spread of the virus.

Florida and Texas both broke single-day records over the weekend, according to NPR. Florida reported 11,443 new cases and Texas 8,258 new cases on Saturday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned on Monday of “greater fatalities” due to COVID-19 in coming weeks.

Other hot spots have seen weeks-long spikes, with California reporting 5,410 new cases and Arizona 3,536 new cases on Sunday, says NPR.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner pushed back on President Donald Trump’s assertion over the weekend that 99 percent of coronavirus cases are “totally harmless.” Trump didn’t provide any evidence to back up this claim.

“The number of people who are getting sick and going to the hospitals has exponentially increased,” Turner told CBS. “The number of people in our ICU beds has exponentially increased. In fact, if we don’t get our hands around this virus quickly, in about two weeks our hospital system could be in serious, serious trouble.”

Many experts are similarly worried about what the coming weeks will bring in America’s runaway COVID-19 pandemic. Some have voiced concerns that the United States could be heading toward a “full-blown” outbreak.

Although the South and West are seeing the sharpest surges, infections are rising in most states, according to data compiled by the volunteer COVID Tracking Project.

“We are in free fall,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, told CNN.

And we have yet to see the impact of the holiday weekend, when many Americans crowded together without masks to celebrate.

It can take up to 14 daysTrusted Source for people exposed to the new coronavirus to show symptoms. Similarly, there’s a lag between newly confirmed infections and hospitalizations, and between hospitalizations and deaths.

Many hospitals at or near ICU capacity

As we saw in New York City and Italy, there are limits to what the healthcare system can handle. Some hospitals in the United States are quickly reaching that line.

Hospitals in at least two counties in South Texas were at full capacity before the weekend. Judges in those counties urged residents to shelter in place, although this wasn’t a mandatory order.

The Texas government stopped releasing information about hospital capacity, but the Texas Tribune reports that many areas of the state — including Austin, Dallas, and Houston — are near their limit.

Likewise, Florida has seen spikes in COVID-19 hospitalizations, as well as patients in intensive care units (ICUs) or on ventilators. As of Monday, 44 Florida hospitals had reached their ICU capacity.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said last week that the state is “not going back” on reopening, saying younger people were driving the rise in cases and that they are less at risk from COVID-19.

But as Sweden discovered with outbreaks in its long-term care homes, it’s difficult to keep the virus from spreading from lower risk to higher risk groups. Especially since people without symptoms can easily infect others.

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