CDC and WHO Chiefs Warn of Long-term COVID-19 Challenges

Earlier this week, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield warned that a second wave of COVID-19 will be far more dire because it is likely to coincide with the start of the flu season. “There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through,” Redfield said in an interview with The Washington Post. “We’re going to have the flu epidemic and the coronavirus epidemic at the same time,” he added. Redfield said federal and state officials need to use the coming months to prepare for what lies ahead. As stay-at-home orders are lifted, officials need to stress the continued importance of social distancing, he said. To assist with this, Redfield noted detailed guidance for state and local governments on how they can ease mitigation efforts will be “in the public domain shortly.” Additionally, over the summer months the public will be encouraged to think ahead to the fall and the importance of getting flu shots. Getting a flu vaccination, Redfield said, “may allow there to be a hospital bed available for your mother or grandmother that may get coronavirus.” Read the article at the Washington Post.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Ghebreysus also warned of the long term challenges of COVID-19 in a telebriefing yesterday, saying, “Make no mistake: we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time.” He too emphasized the importance of social distancing, noting it had helped suppress transmission in many countries. While acknowledging that people are frustrated with stay-at-home orders and desire to return to normal life, Tedros said there must be a “new normal” that is healthier, safer, and better prepared. Read the article at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.