"Don't be complacent!" Fauci warned of a "long Covid" crisis in the United States

【Global Times Comprehensive Report】"Don't be complacent" and "don't prematurely declare victory over the pandemic", Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the president, who has said that the United States is in a "latent" public health emergency - millions or even tens of millions of people have suffered from the "long-term new crown" impact. This neglected crisis and the possible new wave of winter epidemics are in stark contrast to the United States' current almost "lying flat" anti-epidemic attitude. What is even more surprising is that a newly disclosed report shows that the Trump administration, which is trying to smear and "dump" China, has used "very unusual" means to prevent public health officials from providing accurate epidemic information to the American people.

In May, Fauci testified before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. (AFP)

The United States declared a "hypothetical victory"

Fauci issued the above warning in an exclusive interview published by the British "Guardian" on the 18th. The cold fact that the coronavirus outbreak still kills about 400 people a day in the United States is more of public concern than the millions of people who are suffering from a "long-term coronavirus," but Fauci cautions that the latter is "a very hidden public health emergency hidden under the radar screen."

Fauci's "long-term new crown" refers to the sequelae of the new crown, also known as the long-term symptoms of the new crown. According to the Guardian, the World Health Organization believes that 10% to 20% of people infected with the new crown virus are left with symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue and cognitive dysfunction, which may last long after the acute infection is cured. An estimated 7.5 million to 23 million Americans have developed "long-term COVID." At a given time, more than 1 million people may no longer be able to work, resulting in more than $50 billion (about 360 billion yuan) in lost income.

"Part of the misfortune, challenge and frustration it presents is that it has too many elements that do not fit known or identifiable pathogenic processes." For example, if a person is so tired that they can't work, no lab test, X-ray, CT scan or MRI can point to the cause, Fauci said. Why is it that an intellectually sharp, energetic person suddenly cannot concentrate on anything for more than half an hour? Why don't those great athletes no longer have athletic endurance? In this case, he admits, trying to treat or cure "long-term covid" becomes a "gamble" because "we don't even know what the goal of treatment is - it's swimming in the dark."

According to the Guardian, scientists are studying this, but the interference of the US political climate is grim. After two and a half years of lockdowns, restrictions and heated battles, masks are being taken off, the coronavirus pandemic disappeared from news reports, and last month President Joe Biden himself declared that "the pandemic is over" and the US Congress refused to allocate additional funds to meet testing and vaccine needs. "I hope things will change." "If you declare victory, you're declaring a hypothetical victory because we haven't won the battle yet," Fauci said. ”

At least 19 outbreak reports were tried to be prevented

A new report released by the Special Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis of the US House of Representatives on the 17th disclosed the scandal in the early days of the US fight against the epidemic. According to CNN, the report said Trump administration aides "seized control of communications from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), preventing public health officials from providing accurate information about the outbreak to the American public."

The 91-page report, based on a third-wide investigation into the Trump administration's response to the outbreak, proved that its health department and the CDC "planted political personnel trying to downplay the severity of the outbreak." Senior CDC official Galatas told investigators that Caputo, a close ally of Trump and named assistant secretary of health, used "bullying" to make CDC officials "feel threatened."

Christine Casey, a CDC official and editor of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, described the Trump administration's intervention as "very unusual." The investigation revealed that between May and mid-September 2020, then-Department of Health officials tried to influence CDC's scientific report on the outbreak, editing its content or blocking the release of at least 19 reports they believed could be harmful to Trump. They successfully altered or delayed the publication of at least 5 scientific reports.

The investigative report also shows that the Trump administration blocked a federal order requiring people to wear masks when riding public transportation during a critical time in the pandemic. Martin Setron, director of CDC's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, told investigators that mask orders could have made a significant contribution to saving American lives. Previously, the Trump administration also rejected the CDC's plan to extend the cruise ban because then-Vice President Pence was lobbied by relevant industries.

CNN reported that Setron issued a statement after the release of the investigation report, saying that the previous government had carried out unprecedented political intervention in the response to the epidemic. As the report shows, Trump and his top aides have repeatedly attacked CDC scientists, compromising the agency's public health guidance and suppressing the release of scientific reports to downplay the severity of the virus. "Political preference, contempt for science and refusal to heed the advice of public health experts undermine the nation's ability to respond effectively to the coronavirus crisis and put Americans at risk."

A new winter outbreak is brewing

The United States, which has failed to fight the epidemic, may soon usher in a new wave of epidemic tests. The US Capitol Hill newspaper reported on the 17th that the increase in new coronary pneumonia cases in Europe has triggered a warning that the United States may experience the impact of a new epidemic wave this winter, because the previous surge in cases in the United States was after the rise in European cases. New cases in Europe began to rise around early September, with the current seven-day average of about 200,000 new cases. The average number of confirmed cases in the United States in 7 days is about 38,000, but cooling keeps people indoors, the number of vaccine booster shots is still low, and the overall contempt for the fight against the epidemic is laying the groundwork for a winter epidemic wave similar to that on the other side of the Atlantic.

The United Press International reported that government data showed that the new, more contagious Omicron variant began to spread across the United States. The CDC says the total number of cases infected with the new variant accounts for more than 10 percent of new cases in the United States. "President Biden said the pandemic is over, but I think that's a mistake." Ali Kedad, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington, told The Hill that the epidemic is not over, especially now that winter is approaching.

Source: Global Times