Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert, revealed on Tuesday that there is early evidence that social distancing is helping to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“We’re starting to see glimmers that [social distancing] is actually having some dampening effect,” Fauci said during an appearance on CNN. “That does not take away from the seriousness… we clearly are seeing cases going up.”
“We haven’t seen it yet,” he noted. “We’re just pushing on the mitigation hoping that we do see that turn around.”
According to the doctor, a “decrease in deaths” will not come until the infection rate begins to level off.
“What we’re starting to see right now is just the inklings and I don’t want to put too much stock on it because you don’t want to get overconfident,” he explained. “You just want to keep pushing what you’re doing. You’re starting to see that the daily increases are not in that steep incline, they’re starting to be able to possibly flatten out.”
Fauci also said that there is evidence that younger Americans could be at higher risk than initially thought.
“We are starting to see young individuals in their 30s and their 40s who have no underlying condition that would pre-dispose them to complications who are getting very seriously ill requiring intensive care,” he warned.
