LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Kentucky is in danger of becoming a COVID-19 hotspot, according to the nation's topic infectious disease expert.
But in an interview with WDRB News, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said there is still time to turn things around.
"The issue is the threat level is there. What happens is up the citizens of Kentucky,” said Fauci. “That's the reason why we sounded an alarm, not to scare you."
Fauci said he sounded the alarm because of the rising percentage of positive cases in Kentucky, Indiana and other Midwestern states.
"That has been, in our experience, a sure-fire predictor that if you don't do something different than what you're already doing, those little upticks - as small and insignificant as they may seem - don't turn around spontaneously by themselves. You got to do something different," he said.
That "something different" includes the now familiar routines of wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding crowds.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear holds up a face mask while speaking about the novel coronavirus during a news conference at the state Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., Sunday, April 26, 2020. (Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)
They are steps Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is already requiring, but Fauci said he does not know enough to grade Beshear's performance during the crisis.
"The only thing I can say, if you have done those things, you have done the correct things. And you will see that will be very important in keeping the virus under control in your community," Fauci said.
Communities should prioritize getting children back to school, Fauci said, but only if it can be done safely.
"There's one thing that should dominate, and that is the safety, the health and the welfare of the children and teachers and the secondary spinoffs of the families of those individuals," he said.
Fauci said the precautions schools should take depend on the level of infection in the area. He said schools should be prepared to teach online, have alternate schedules and even meet outdoors.
"The bottom line is you've got to be flexible. You've got to try to open the schools, but you've got to be flexible," he said.
With the delayed Kentucky Derby coming up Sept. 5, Fauci declined to say whether the event should include spectators at the track.
"I'm not going to make any proclamation about what you should do locally, but if you do have that event, you sure make sure that there's space enough between people and that everyone is wearing a mask. That's what you should be doing."
Fauci said if people follow the basic safety fundamentals, there is no reason the economy cannot reopen safely.
"I think unless you get good control over an outbreak, you're not going to be able to successfully open up the economy," he said.
"We all want to and should be trying very hard to open up the economy, to get the jobs back. You can do that, I am absolutely confident, if you just abide by the five or six fundamental principles."
Fauci said he is "cautiously optimistic" about a vaccine. He said the federal government is involved with five or six candidates, and two potential vaccines have recently gone into advanced trials.
"We'll have an answer as we go into the end of this year, November, December, possibly even sooner depending on how many infections there are in the trials," he said.
Fauci said a vaccine could be ready for mass distribution sometime by the middle of 2021.
Watch the full video below:
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