While vaccinations continue to increase across the United States, the number of COVID-19 cases have plateaued at a level that could still surge.
There were more than 75,000 new cases of the novel virus on Wednesday, according to John Hopkins University. While that is a decrease from the nation’s peak earlier this year, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the fact that the number of cases isn’t decreasing further is of concern.
“Well, certainly, deaths are coming down, hospitalizations are coming down...but the number that is disturbing is the number of cases each day,” the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist told CNN.
“When we had the big spike [during the winter]...then it came back down, but now it's plateaued at a disturbingly high level...when you're at that level, there is the risk of getting a surge back up.”
Fauci also stressed the importance of getting vaccinated, especially with the recent spread of COVID-19 variants across the country.
“It's almost a race between getting people vaccinated and this surge that seems to want to increase,” he added.
Fauci also urged Americans not to get complacent and continue practicing safety protocols, such as wearing face masks.
“Hang in there a bit longer...Now is not the time, as I've said so many times, to declare victory prematurely,” Fauci said.
As of Wednesday, nearly 25% of adults are fully vaccinated in the U.S., reported NBC News.
In addition, 40% of all adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 75% of seniors have been partially vaccinated, per the CDC.
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