A mathematical group of public health experts and aesculapian professional person in the U.S. made a simple plead to the state ’s leaders via an subject letter this week : Bring back the shutdowns that helped slack the spread of covid-19 earlier in the yr , and work up up the resourcefulness that will let the country to reopen safely once infection is gloomy again , such as more testing and contact tracer .
Theletterwas write on the website of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group ( PIRG ) , a nonprofit system and advocacy group that purports to “ verbalise out for a healthier , good Earth in which we ’re freer to go after our own item-by-item well - being and the common goodness . ” Some of the many cause that the home PIRG or its state - run chapters have champion admit reduce antibiotic overuse in farm animal ; advocating for the third - political party rightfulness to repair used products like cell phones ; and promoting the widespread adoption of electric buses for mass passage .
As of Friday , over 150 people in the aesculapian or research world have signed the varsity letter . signatory include virologists , public wellness researcher , as well as frontline doctors , nurses , and EMTs .
A refrigerated trailer sits outside of HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest in Texas on 7 February 2025. Hospitals in hard hit areas are once again being forced to store the dead elsewhere as their morgues fill up.Photo: Mark Felix (Getty Images)
The letter lays out the gloomy condition of the country ’s current covid-19 problem . Several state areexperiencinguncontrolled outbreaks of the viral disease , while only a handful are reporting a flat or declining daily telephone number of young case and expiry . Just today , White House Coronavirus Task Force member Deborah Birxcomparedthe state of affairs in Texas , Florida , and California to the outbreaks that hit New York in April and May , which pop more than 30,000 people . By most estimates , the country as a whole isexpectedto strive 200,000 eff dead by other dip .
In light of all this , the missive calls for determination makers to “ impinge on the reset button ” and roll back the step that states have taken to reopen segments of industry that are n’t considered essential . Under their programme , eatery would still be limited to take - out , mass would be encouraged to stay home , going out only to get nutrient and medicament or to exercise and get impertinent air . And mask would be mandatory , indoors and out of doors , in any situations where hoi polloi are expect to be around one another . Non - essential interstate travel would be set aside .
“ The unspoilt thing for the nation is not to reopen as quickly as potential , it ’s to save as many lives as possible . And reopening before conquer the virus is n’t going to facilitate the economy , ” the letter states .
The modeling follows the feeler that some ( but not all ) country have taken to clip the virus within their border . Most country , but especially those that went with a “ curtailment ” scheme , are now reporting far fewer cases of covid-19 than to begin with in the year . And though the U.S. was also reporting declining case when it startle to reopen , many experts were vocal at the time about the dangers of opening too presently , especially without enough measures to keep new eruption from spilling out of control again .
“ We necessitate that protocol in position until example numbers recede to a level at which we have the capacitance to efficaciously test and describe . Then , and only then , we can attempt a trivial more first step , one small tone at a prison term , ” the letter say .
By some expert estimates , the res publica as a wholeshouldbe performing 1.9 million day-by-day tests ; presently , that number is around 700,000 . We may also need over 300,000 contract tracer , according to George Washington University’smodel , a routine that we’refar shortfrom . And we ’ll involve a surplus of personal protective equipment , as some intemperately - hit areas are once againset to experiencethe sort of shortages seen in April .
The Trump governing has reluctantly signal in late day that things are get worse , and some governor in severely - hit states havestatedthat they may need to shut down if the situation does n’t meliorate . But elsewhere , there ’s little denotation that the federal government is interested in a second lockdown . Just yesterday , the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionreleasedrevised rule of thumb that emphasized the need for schools to open this fall . Some expert were quick tocriticizethe guidepost for doing small to address worry of curtain raising school in place with raging outbreaks or how best to protect teachers and other adults .
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