The U.S. is unlikely to resume lockdowns amid the nationwide COVID-19 surge driven by the highly transmissible delta variant, Anthony Fauci, MD, the White House's chief medical adviser, said during an Aug. 1 interview on ABC News' This Week with George Stephanopoulos.
"I don’t think we’re going to see lockdowns," Dr. Fauci said. "I think we have enough of the percentage of people in the country, not enough to crush the outbreak, but I believe enough to not allow us to get into the situation we were in last winter."
However, Dr. Fauci also warned that "some pain and suffering is ahead," pointing to a substantial and rapid increase in national COVID-19 cases. The nation's seven-day case average was 66,606 as of July 30, up 64.1 percent from the previous week's average, according to CDC data.
Last week, the U.S. also reported more than 100,000 new cases in a single day — a milestone last seen in February, according to The Washington Post.
To see a full transcript of Dr. Fauci's interview, click here.