Fauci warns against potential new COVID-19 surge as cases remain high

Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, warned Sunday the nation could be at risk of a new surge of COVID-19 infections as the number of daily cases in the U.S. has remained at a plateau.

“When you’re coming down from a big peak and you reach a point and start to plateau, once you stay at that plateau, you’re really in danger of a surge coming up,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with “Face the Nation.” “And unfortunately, that’s what we’re starting to see.”

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While the nation experienced a sharp decline in coronavirus cases from January to early March, the number of daily new infections has hovered between roughly 50,000 and 60,000, according to data from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC). On Friday, the number of new cases reached 71,593, as 30 states and the District of Columbia reported a rise in infections.

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A leveling-off at such a high rate of infection is “a risk,” Fauci said.

While new coronavirus variants identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa are “playing a part” in the spikes of new cases, Fauci said, an increase in travel for spring break and rolling back of mitigation methods have also contributed.