As Americans head home for the holidays, health experts warn of the possible “catastrophic impacts” of a possible wave of coronavirus that could affect the United States if families do not hold festive gatherings and travel to a minimum.
Holidays have proven to be a catalyst for COVID-19 infections across the country. Earlier this year, after all the summer holidays, the United States reported a significant increase in infections across the country and experts say Thanksgiving has played a major role in the viral rise largest in the country so far.
“The transmission of the virus that took place during the Thanksgiving period has brought many health systems across the country to the brink of failure and we have not yet finished seeing that impact,” Drs. John Brownstein, head of innovation at Boston Children’s Hospital and a contributor to ABC News.
In the weeks following Thanksgiving, national and state COVID-19 numbers have hit records and December has become the worst month in terms of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., with more than 4.5 millions of confirmed cases, according to data collected by The COVID Tracking Project.
Since the end of November, the national average of seven new cases has risen by 32%, with 12 days this month recording a daily load of more than 200,000 cases.
The number of hospital beds across the country is also declining, and deaths are rising daily to unprecedented levels.
There are currently more than 117,000 hospitalized patients nationwide, a record high, and just over the past three weeks, more than 54,000 COVID-19-related deaths have been reported, putting December on track to convert. -is in the most deadly month recorded.
“Being layered at the December travel and vacation meetings means we’ll have a third jump on this wave, or an uphill climb,” Brownstein added. “Unfortunately, this increase is likely to have catastrophic impacts on hospital capacity and the acceleration of terrible mortality targets by February.”
Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said in a conversation with the JAMA network earlier this month that he is also “really concerned” about the prospect of the virus in the coming months.
With the Hanukkah celebrations just over and Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Eve, experts and health officials warn that travel and family reunions could increase those numbers even further.
“We will have more people traveling and, instead of just having a holiday weekend, it will be much more than a week. It’s Christmas and the week between Christmas and New Year. [Eve] and then New Year’s Eve [Day]Said Fauci.
Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, echoed Fauci’s warnings that he predicted a greater number of infections and deaths daily with the upcoming Christmas meetings, which would further aggravate the increase in cause of Thanksgiving.
“It will get worse, because we are still experiencing the outcome of the Thanksgiving holidays and meetings, and unfortunately there will be more during the Christmas holidays … so there will be a continuous increase,” Slaoui said during an appearance on CNN on Sunday.
In preparation for the possible consequences, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a new guideline last week that strongly recommends postponing travel and staying home this year as “the best way to protect yourself. and to others “.
But despite warnings, millions of people are still traveling this holiday season. The Transportation Security Administration reported Tuesday that it has already examined more than 4 million passengers in the past four days.
“The large volume of mobility we are witnessing is far beyond what we saw during the Thanksgiving period. Travel, in addition to the length of this holiday period, means we will probably see more significant virus spread than any of the other holidays during the pandemic, ”Brownstein explained. dit.
In addition, there is growing concern about the possible implications in the US of the new variant of coronavirus identified in the UK, which according to European health officials may be 70% more transmissible than the old variant.
Fauci told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Tuesday that it is “certainly possible” that the UK variant is already in the United States, which experts say could lead to an even greater increase in vacations.
“If the new most transmissible variant in the UK is already circulating, we may see an even stronger acceleration of cases and hospitalizations,” Brownstein said.
While it was ready, the CDC said it has not yet detected the new variant in the United States. It is not uncommon for viruses to mutate, officials warn.
Ultimately, Fauci told ABC News that officials do not “want to cancel Christmas,” but it is critical that Americans follow the guidelines set by health officials, explaining that people must “reduce plans,” try to minimize travel and try to avoid large congregations of people inland. “
“There is light at the end of the tunnel. Over the next few months, the vaccines will make a significant, significant positive impact,” Fauci said. “But until then, we have to comply with really good and prudent public health practices.”