Fauci says second wave of coronavirus is 'not inevitable' amid recent spikes in cases

• Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that despite a recent rise in cases of the novel coronavirus, the US isn't necessarily headed for a second wave of infections.
• Fauci previously said the virus could likely be "seasonal," but has since praised testing accessibility and efforts to develop a vaccine as possibly able to prevent a second wave.
• The country passed a grim milestone in the second week of June as more than 2 million people in the US have been infected by the virus and at least 114,669 have died from it, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said again that despite a recent rise in cases of the novel coronavirus, the United States may not see a second wave of infections later this year.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN on Friday that increases in cases in several states were not necessarily indicative of a "second spike" of infections, and a seasonal resurgence was "not inevitable."

"However, when you start to see increases in hospitalization, that's a surefire situation that you've got to pay close attention to," Fauci told CNN on Friday.

In the first two weeks of June, cases have been on the rise across the US. According to data tracked by the Washington Post, 14 states and Puerto Rico recorded their highest-ever seven-day average of new coronavirus cases in June since the pandemic began.

"It is not inevitable that you will have a so-called 'second wave' in the fall or even a massive increase if you approach it in the proper way," he said. CNN reported that he also advised Americans to continue following CDC guidelines like social distancing and wearing masks in public.

The comments echoed optimistic remarks Fauci made late last month, in a turn from his previous suggestions that mass infections could be "seasonal."

The nation's leading infectious-disease expert told CNN on May 27 that increased testing and CDC capabilities could counter a possible resurgence in cases, Insider's Jake Lahut previously reported.

"If we do the kinds of things that we're putting in place now, to have the workforce, the system, and the will to do the kinds of things that are the clear and effective identification, isolation and contact tracing, we can prevent this second wave that we're talking about," Fauci told the outlet.

Fauci has hailed efforts to increase testing and other efforts like vaccine development as critical to the process of lifting quarantines and fully opening up public spaces.

Former CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding, an infectious disease expert who now is an executive vice president at Merck & Co Inc., added to Fauci's optimistic tone, telling CNN that ongoing efforts to develop a vaccine are a promising sign.

"I think the science is on our side," Gerberding told the outlet.

"But that doesn't say anything about the speed, the safety, and the durability and all of the other criteria that have to come into play before we have something that we can count on to give us that population immunity," Gerberding said.

Gerberding said Friday that the industry's collaborative efforts and the 130 vaccines in different stages of production points make her cautiously optimistic the pandemic will end with a vaccine.

The country passed a grim milestone this week as more than 2 million people in the US have been infected by the virus and at least 114,669 have died from it, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

States have attributed rises to a variety of factors. New infections in Texas have risen about 71% in the past two weeks as the state continues to reopen businesses and a new high of hospitalized patients, which the Texas Department of State Health Services has partially attributed to hot spots like state prisons and meatpacking plants, the Texas Tribune reported.

The onset of warm summer weather and Memorial Day activities in late May prompted concerns from public health experts like Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, who responded to photos of crowded beaches by emphasizing that measures to prevent spreading infection like social distancing are "absolutely critical."

"We've learned a lot about this virus, but we now need to translate that learning into real change behavior that stays with us so we can continue to drive down the number of cases," Birx said on ABC News in late May.