U.S. Surgeon General Warns COVID-19 Will Get Even Worse in the Coming Weeks

WITZ RADIO NEWS IS AN AFFILIATE OF NETWORK INDIANA

STATEWIDE--In the battle against the coronavirus, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams wants you to "hold on a little longer."

During an interview with "Fox News Sunday", Adams, also the former Indiana Health Commissioner, said many travelers did the right thing by having small gatherings.

"For those who did travel and attend large gatherings, we want you to know it's not too late to take measures to slow the spread of this virus. You can still isolate. You can still get tested in three to five days. You can still take measures that have been proven to prevent cases, hospitalizations, and deaths," said Adams.

Adams believes the pandemic will get worse over the next several weeks.

"But the actions we take in the next several days will determine how bad it is or whether or not we continue to flatten our curve. I also want people to know there is hope. We are just weeks away from being able to vaccinate the vulnerable. We can significantly protect people who are at risk of this virus, so hang on just a little bit longer," said Adams.

The COVID Tracking Project reports that over 93,000 Americans are in the hospital because of the virus. There were nearly 800 reported deaths from the virus Sunday and over 131,000 new infections. However, those numbers could be off because of delays in reporting due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Nearly 267,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus. More than 5,400 Hoosiers have died from coronavirus.

"I want people to understand that if cases and hospitalizations continue to go up, not only will it hurt our ability to care for COVID patients, but if someone is having a baby, they may not be able to get a bed. If someone is having a heart attack or a potential stroke like my mother, then you may not get a bed. Your actions have consequences. If you do the right thing, then it will bridge us to a vaccine. I'm so hopeful that we can get to that vaccine with as few lives lost as possible," said Adams.

Adams continued to emphasize what he calls the "three W's": wash your hands, watch your distance, and wear your mask.