Posted on 04/22/2020 12:23:30 AM PDT by L.A.Justice
A second coronavirus outbreak could emerge this winter in conjunction with the flu season to make for an even more dire health crisis, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told The Washington Post in an interview.
“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,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a story published Tuesday. “And when I’ve said this to others, they kind of put their head back, they don’t understand what I mean.”
“We’re going to have the flu epidemic and the coronavirus epidemic at the same time,” he added, predicting a dual assault on the health care system.
While there are shots to help prevent the flue and drugs to help treat it — unlike with the novel coronavirus, which still has no approved treatment or vaccine — it remains a deadly infection.
The flu season has been underway since September, and while flu activity now is considered low, the season has seen a high number of hospitalizations and infections, killing at least 168 children, according to the CDC. Last year, the flu killed at least 34,200 Americans, according to the CDC, and made an estimated 35.5 million people sick.
To have both the flu and the coronavirus circulating at the same time could overwhelm hospitals and doctors’ offices that are already stretched thin in a bad flu season.
White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx was asked during Tuesday’s news briefing about Redfield’s comments and how such a confluence of coronavirus and the seasonal flu could affect plans to reopen the country.
“We were very clear in the guidelines that we believe we can monitor, again, monitor communities at the community level by using the influenza-like illness,” she said, adding that they are working to build testing capacity and it’s important to “have testing in place.”
Pressed again on whether she thinks a second wave could be worse, Birx said, “I don’t know if it will be worse, I think this has been pretty bad. When you see what happened in New York, that was very bad. I believe that we’ll have early warning signals both from our surveillance that we’ve been talking about in these vulnerable populations. We’re going to continue that surveillance from now all the way through to be able to give us that early warning signal.”
Redfield’s comments come as several governors look to partially reopen their states’ economies by loosening some restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the virus — despite concerns of subsequent increases in coronavirus cases.
Protesters have come out in multiple states against governors’ orders that largely adhere to federal guidelines, and President Donald Trump has encouraged them to “LIBERATE” their states in tweets.
When asked about the protests and the subsequent calls to open states earlier, Redfield said that “it’s not helpful.”
While Trump unveiled guidance last week to help states loosen their social distancing restrictions, Redfield called for state officials to spend the next few months preparing for the next phase by continuing to tout social distancing and scaling up testing and contact tracing.
Looking ahead, Redfield cited the need for a preventative campaign to emphasize the importance of flu shots to reduce flu hospitalizations. He said that getting a flu vaccine “may allow there to be a hospital bed available for your mother or grandmother that may get coronavirus.”
We will never get out of our houses if the researchers had their way...
Another shutdown in December? I live in CA...Will Governor Gavin end the present shutdown before December? Who knows?
I will try to get the flu shot if I am allowed to see my doctor any time soon...
Right now, the hospitals are telling people to show up later for "routine appointments"...
Last month, I was supposed to see my doctor...But, I ended up talking to him on the phone instead...
We just had an earthquake here in LA. Even animals care about that.
This virus thing hasn’t fazed nature one bit.
Or it could me much ado about basically the flu, like this outbreak was.
“could emerge this winter in conjunction with the flu season”
But it’s not the flu. Really. It’s much different.
Mankind has experianced many plagues and killing deseases over time and has not only survived, we have thrived. What makes this one unique is this is the first time we hide under our beds to beat it.
Just the deep state. We are all going back soon! We are not afraid of them anymore. Just a bug that will pass!
they havent been right on too many things, to worry about this. if it fits their agenda there night be another round.. but remember cuomo said it was he who did it.. not Jesus.. no it was man in all his wisdom.
Nice of them to give us 7 month advance notice on their next hoax.
Quick, all you germaphobes, get out there and get your government flu shot.
Yeah I care so little about what these guys say at this point. Didn’t care much to begin with after the millions dead scenario disappeared.
They want $$ and to feel important.
And power.
Now the majority won’t believe a word they say.
Thank God.
i live in ground zero. NYC. Was gonna be ruined forever.
They’re already letting some restaurants open in May.
By summer we’ll be rocking.
de blasio jumped the shark with his “snitch” tweet.
The majority of pictures received were of private parts and pictures of hitler.
Also possible: my aunt could grow balls in December and I would suddenly have one more uncle on my Christmas shopping list.
You prepare for the worst, but you don’t make it the only thing you prepare for.
If you are concerned about the coronavirus you may want to watch this on YouTube! I have become familiar with BHT over thirty years ago and have been using it off and on when some flu virus was on the lose, with good results.
What you see in this YouTube movie clip pretty well mirrors my experience. It may not be perfect, but neither are vaccines but it may help and fill in until someone comes up with the proper vaccine. And this may be questionable as such viruses will mutate. On he other hand BHT does not care if such a virus mutates or not, as long as such a virus has a lipid coating it will remove the coating and render such a virus inactive. The catch is that BHT has to be taken before the virus takes hold and does any damage, as BHT still will deactivate the virus afterwards, but it is not in the nature of BHT to repair any damage which already may have taken place.
BHT and Coronavirus | LIFE EXTENSION BOOK RESEARCH ...
www.youtube.com › watch
So, the Comfort should just start paying New York State taxes?
Total f’n bs.
My bold prediction: some day the world will end.
And I’ll be laughing my ass off.
I could possibly win the Lottery this winter too.
It could might possibly potentially happen.
LMFAO! Possibly the funniest comment I’ve ever seen on FR. Monitor is being cleaned as I write this
Gee, Dr. D!ckbrain, if we open up gradually over the summer, maybe, just maybe, the virus will slow-burn its way through most of the populace, while apparently leaving most of its victims almost completely unaffected, according to the latest data. Then, maybe, just maybe, doc, we won’t have this bad season you’re flagellating us about.
Oh, and have mail in elections so the democrats can cheat us out of everything. I think I'm seeing a pattern here.
I hope these govt types stay good and healthy because the way they're going, they're going to have to fight a ground war against disenfranchised American citizens who will not lay down and be their slaves.
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