ST. LOUIS — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S, is raising the alarm about COVID-19 cases in Missouri, Illinois and five other states. In an interview with Bloomberg, he said rising positivity rates are a bad sign of things to come.
Fauci spoke with Bloomberg as Americans get ready for another summertime test: the Labor Day holiday weekend. He named seven states that are “at risk for surging.” All of them are in the Midwest.
- Missouri
- Illinois
- Arkansas
- Indiana
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
“Those states are starting to see an increase in the percent positive of their testing; that is generally predictive that there’s going to be a problem,” Dr. Fauci told Bloomberg.
On Thursday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported a total of 88,610 COVID-19 cases – an increase of 1,397 from the day before – and 1,545 total deaths. It was the ninth day in a row of more than 1,000 new cases.
The state health department reported Missouri’s positivity rate increased from 8.74% on Wednesday to 8.79% on Thursday. According to the department’s dashboard, the positivity rate for the last seven days was 12.9%
On Thursday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported its lowest day of new cases in nearly a month with 1,360 new coronavirus cases. Overall, the state has 240,003 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 8,115 deaths. Illinois’ positivity rate decreased from 5.79% Wednesday to 5.77% Thursday.
Fauci and health experts are worried the Labor Day weekend could prompt a surge in cases in these states and throughout America – especially after several states experienced spikes after the Memorial Day and Fourth of July holidays.
"We don't want to see a repeat of the surges that we have seen following the holiday weekends,” Dr. Fauci told CNN. “But particularly as we go on the other side of Labor Day and enter into the fall, we want to go into that with a running start in the right direction. We don't want to go into that with another surge that we have to turn around again."
White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx echoed Fauci’s plea, asking for Americans to avoid those viral scenes from previous holidays, including at the Lake of the Ozarks where people were seen packed into pools and swim-up bars, ignoring social distancing standards and not wearing masks.
"Please don't have parties where people do not have masks on. Just because they’re a neighbor does not mean they couldn't be positive,” Birx told reporters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
There is no statewide mandate to wear masks in Missouri, despite a recommendation from Dr. Birx and the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
The Springfield News-Leader reports on Aug. 16 the task force recommended requiring masks in Missouri due to “high levels” of COVID-19 transmission.
Two days later, Dr. Birx was in Missouri meeting with Governor Mike Parson and his administration. While speaking at a news conference with Gov. Parson, Dr. Birx said, “Every public health official anywhere in the country will tell you it is easier to have a statewide mask mandate."
Parson never talked about the recommendation publicly and hasn’t issued a statewide mask mandate.