The U.S. may experience Covid peak in January as the country experiences outbreaks, says. Dr. Gottlieb Gottlieb.
Americans will find the next two to three months challenging, according to the former commissioner of the FDA and a CNBC contributor.
He said that scientists and public health officials still warn that the U.S. could experience Covid peak even if there is reported progress in vaccine development.
According to Pfizer and BioNTech’s statement, their coronavirus vaccine was more than 90% effective in responding to Covid-19 among those without proof of prior infection. They consider the development as “a great day for science and humanity.”
“I think we can see light at the end of the tunnel,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Dr. Albert Bourla said during an interview on CNBC’s Meg Tirrell on “Squawk Box.” “I believe this is likely the most significant medical advance in the last 100 years, if you count the impact this will have in public health, global economy.”
The statement comes as drugmakers and research centers race to produce a safe and effective vaccine to control the coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 1.2 million lives across the world.
Scientists look forward to a coronavirus vaccine that is at least 75% effective, while White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said one that is 50% or 60% effective is already acceptable.
Holidays approaching Covid peak
“We are three to four weeks behind Europe now and we are headed in the same direction in terms of the progression of the disease,” Dr. Scottlieb said. “We are not moving fast enough to change our behaviors, reduce mobility, and take policy actions to stop the trend.”
“Looking at the epidemic curve, Covid cases will peak in January and we will see cases starting to decline in March,” he said.
“Hopefully, we should have some semblance of normalcy in the summer of 2021. By that time, it’s hoped the older population will be vaccinated. By the fall of 2021, the vaccine will be more available to people of all ages," he noted.
The Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Diwali, and New Year’s could lead to further spread, experts concur.
“The biggest challenge the health system will face will be having enough health care personnel to handle the workload,” said Dr. Gottlieb, who is also a board member of drug companies Pfizer and Illumina.
“In the weeks ahead we will see hospitals overwhelmed and that could galvanize change,” Gottlieb said. “It’s important people get flu shots since contracting the flu along with Covid doubles the risk of dying from the coronavirus.”
As for business leaders, Dr. Gottlieb suggests that they should be vigilant and keep health and safety issues as top priorities. They must prioritize social distancing, Covid testing, and PPE safety gear including masks.
Dr. Gottlieb lauded Amazon. “Amazon has its own lab and routinely tests its employees for Covid-19. It also aggressively does contract tracing if an employee tests positive for the virus. What the company is really doing is providing a tripwire for the community.”
