US sets record for Covid-19 hospitalizations

Adm. Brett Giroir, the White House’s coronavirus testing czar, today warned that as winter approaches, the US faces a perilous moment in the pandemic, but he emphasized the worst outcomes could be avoided if Americans take proper precautions. 

The US is at a “critical and very dangerous point in this pandemic where cases are rising in nearly every jurisdiction and our hospital capacity is … really getting challenged by this,” Giroir told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. 

“It does not have to be this way,” he continued, recommending physical distancing, the universal wearing of masks in public spaces, proper hygiene and frequent testing. “…If you don’t do those simple things all those [worst] statistics are going to be be a reality.”

“It’s a dangerous situation … but it’s reversible,” he added. 

Giroir, the assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health and Human Services, also discussed the White House coronavirus task force’s consideration of whether to reduce the recommended quarantine period from 14 days, saying Americans are more likely to abide by a shorter quarantine.

“People are much more likely to listen to a 10-day quarantine than they are a 14-day quarantine, so if we can shorten it safely with no risk … that might actually improve our public health responses.”

“We are looking at it … It’s not an announcement that it’s happening … it may change but it may not,” he said. 

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