Even as COVID-19 cases climb in some states as they reopen, the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said a second wave of the virus later this year is not inevitable.
According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 2 million people in the U.S have been infected with COVID-19, with nearly 115,00 dying from it. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a forecast Friday that projects the death toll could jump to 130,000 by July 4.
Fauci said a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in a number of states is not necessarily a "second spike".
However, when you start to see increases in hospitalization, that's a surefire situation that you've got to pay close attention to," Fauci told CNN on Friday.
Fauci also said there may not be a so-called second wave of cases as other health experts are predicting.
"It is not inevitable that you will have a so-called 'second wave' in the fall or even a massive increase if you approach it in the proper way," he said.
Fauci advised Americans continue to continue following social distancing guidelines and wearing masks.
As of Saturday, at least 13 states were showing an upward trend in daily COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Governor Pritzker's press secretary, Jordan Abudayyeh, tweeted the chart below put together by Fortune Magazine.
FORTUNE MAGAZINE
It shows the change in the number of new cases compared to 14 days ago. The chart shows that Illinois has seen the largest decrease in the number of new cases. Unlike a state like Arizona that has been much more max on re openings and has seen the largest increase in the number of new cases.
