Birx: ‘We are deeply worried about what could happen post-Thanksgiving’

White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx said Sunday that the task force was “deeply concerned” about the potential for a further spike in cases following Thanksgiving.

“If you look at the second wave, we had less than 25,000 cases a day, we had way less mortality. We’re entering this post-Thanksgiving surge with three, four and 10 times as much disease across the country,” Birx said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“That’s what worries us the most,” she added. “We are deeply worried about what could happen post-Thanksgiving.”

NEWS: @WhiteHouse #Coronavirus Task Force coordinator Deborah #Birx tells @margbrennan: “We’re entering this post Thanksgiving drive with 3, 4 and 10x as much disease across the country, that’s what worries us the most” pic.twitter.com/iS8qJ7prKR

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) November 29, 2020

“If you’re young and you gathered [for Thanksgiving], you need to be tested about 5 to 10 days later, but you need to assume you’re infected and not go near your grandparents and others without a mask,” Birx said, adding that the task force has also asked mayors and governors to increase the availability of testing.

“What we do know works is mask mandates,” she said.  “Starting with mask mandates, followed by, if you have high case numbers… one the first things you should do is close spaces where people cannot wear masks and we know where that is, that’s bars and indoor restaurants.”

Asked by host Margaret Brennan when the task force was set to first brief President-elect Joe Biden, Birx responded, “I hope on Monday.”

“We’ve spent the last nine months really developing sophisticated databases that are bringing together information from across the country down to the county level,” Birx said. “I think the one thing we will bring to the Biden administration in that discussion is how they want to see the data, because data isn’t helpful if it’s not actionable.”

“Each group need to see it the way it … moves them to action,” she added.