Fauci warns coronavirus could become seasonal

WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci says there a very good chance the new coronavirus “will assume a seasonal nature,” because it is unlikely to be under control globally.

Fauci is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He says the virus is unlikely to be completely eradicated from the planet this year. That means the US could see the “beginning of a resurgence” during the next flu season.

Fauci says the prospect of a resurgence is the reason the US is working so hard to get its preparedness “better than it was.” He says that includes working to develop a vaccine and conducting clinical trials on therapeutic interventions.

Fauci also says states that do not have stay-at-home orders are not putting the rest of the country at risk as much as they are putting themselves at risk.

Fauci speaks on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

— AP