CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, on Monday warned that “we are right back to square one” when it comes to flattening the curve of coronavirus infections in some parts of the United States.
On Monday’s broadcast of “CNN Tonight,” Gupta told host Don Lemon that he felt like the discussions around tackling the pandemic were no different from what they were a few months ago. He also said he was concerned about the 23 states that are seeing increasing numbers of new infections, especially Florida.
“My parents live in Florida. This is a state where 20% of the population is over the age of 65,” Gupta said. “We know that the virus — there is a vulnerable population, people who are elderly, have preexisting conditions. Seventy-five percent of the ICU beds are already occupied in Florida.”
“We kept talking about flattening the curve so as to not tax the hospital system,” he added. “We are right back to square one in terms of that discussion again, flattening the curve. That was March. We should be having a new discussion, which is ‘bring this down to near zero.’ Instead, we’re talking about how to keep the hospitals from redlining once again.”
Check out the full interview here:
- Stay up to date with our live blog as we cover the COVID-19 pandemic
- 7 essential pieces of relationship advice for couples in quarantine
- What you need to know about face masks right now
- How to tell if you need to start doing online therapy
- Lost your job due to coronavirus? Here’s what you need to know.
- Parenting during the coronavirus crisis?
- The HuffPost guide to working from home
- What coronavirus questions are on your mind right now? We want to help you find answers.
- Everyone deserves accurate information about COVID-19. Support journalism without a paywall — and keep it free for everyone — by becoming a HuffPost member today.