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America can go back to the blockade. Joe Biden’s adviser to Covid’s epidemiology team, Michael Osterholm, says a nationwide lockdown in the United States for 4-6 weeks could keep the pandemic under control, as has happened in New Zealand and Australia.
Shutting down business and providing financial support to those who will no longer receive their wages for 4-6 weeks could help keep the pandemic in check and keep the economy afloat until a vaccine is approved and distributed, he said. Dr. Michael Osterholm.
Osterholm, who holds the position of director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said earlier this week that the country is heading towards “Covid hell”. He said the number of cases is on the rise as more and more people no longer wear masks and no longer follow the rules of social distancing, manifesting so-called “pandemic fatigue”. The doctor added that cold weather makes people spend more time indoors, where the virus can spread more easily.
A nationwide lockdown could reduce the number of new cases and hospitalizations as people wait for a vaccine, he told CNBC.
“We could pay for a support package to cover lost wages for employees, losses in small and medium-sized businesses, cities and states. We could do all of this. If we did, we could be locked up for four to six weeks“He said.
Osterholm added that such a blockade would help the country control the virus “as New Zealand and Australia have done.”
Regarding the evolution of the pandemic, Osterholm said the United States is heading for a dark period until the vaccine is available.
“What Americans need to understand is this we are about to enter COVID hell. It really happens. 10 weeks ago I predicted that Labor Day will see an astronomical increase in the number of cases. As you know, we are now talking about just this type of problem: 120-130,000 new cases per day, while a few weeks ago there was only 23-25,000 cases. This number will continue to grow substantially, we haven’t even come close to the top, “Osterholm explained.
He added that the darkest period of the pandemic for the United States is coming and that hospitals in some cities are no longer able to cope with the number of infections.
Osterholm was named to the 12-member Covid “advisory board” on Monday.
Publisher: Georgiana Marina
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