Americans need to be prepared for the possibility that COVID-19 could become a seasonal disease, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Wednesday.
Fauci told reporters during a White House briefing that more cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus have begun to appear in the Southern Hemisphere, which is transitioning into colder seasons.
If there is an outbreak in the Southern Hemisphere, Fauci said “it will be inevitable” that the disease will make a comeback even if it is temporarily stopped.
New studies show that warm, humid weather might slow the virus — which could mean the pandemic will ease in the coming summer months in North America and Europe.
But Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a prominent member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, said America needs to be ready in case it comes back in the fall.
“I know we’ll be successful in putting this down now, but we really need to be prepared for another cycle,” Fauci said.
He added that the current steps being taken, such as fast-tracking potential vaccines and drug treatments, will be essential to stopping the virus a second time.