PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — There were 153,000 new coronavirus cases in the U.S. Thursday, a record high in the country. Local officials are reporting huge spikes as well and are asking people to do their part to slow the spread.
For a little more than a week now, 100,000-plus cases a day has been the norm in the country, according to Johns Hopkins University — about double what it was a month ago.
And officials like Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh say that needs to change.
“We are at a fork in the road of this pandemic. The path that each of us chooses will make all the difference in the next weeks to months,” Arkoosh said.
And the path Arkoosh and public health experts want people to go on, 6 feet apart of course, is one with social distancing, avoiding gatherings, hand washing and mask wearing.
Those measures are so critical because what’s driving the surge, Dr. Anthony Fauci said, is community spread.
“Which means there are people in society who are infecting others. They don’t have symptoms, they don’t know they’re infected,” Fauci explained.
And many cases have been traced back to people hanging out, even at smaller gatherings.
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine echoed that, saying small gatherings are a big problem because many who attend them are asymptomatic.
“That is actually how much community spread occurs because they don’t know they’re sick. They’re in the community, they might go see a loved one. They may work in a nursing home and unwittingly bring the virus in there,” Levine said.
And with the holidays coming up, that’s a major concern for health officials.
“Nothing is going to be perfect in this. But if you’re indoors and gathering with people, even if it’s a relatively small group, to the extent possible keep the mask on,” Fauci emphasized.