Will coronavirus return in the fall? Health officials give their take

As the number of new cases of the coronavirus seems to be leveling off, or hitting the curve, in New Jersey, there's now talk on a national level that it could be back in the fall – and with flu season, it could cause problems.

News 12 Staff

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Apr 23, 2020, 11:11 AM

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Updated 1,457 days ago

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As the number of new cases of the coronavirus seems to be leveling off, or hitting the curve, in New Jersey, there's now talk on a national level that it could be back in the fall – and with flu season, it could cause problems.

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Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is trying to clarify what he said about an expected second virus wave.

"I think it's really important to say what I didn't say,” says Dr. Redfield. “I didn't say that this was going to be worse."

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Earlier this week, Dr. Redfield told the Washington Post, "There's a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through."

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"Because we'll have flu and coronavirus circulating at the same time," says Dr. Redfield.

President Donald Trump says Dr. Redfield is talking about a "worst case scenario," and that the U.S. is better prepared now.

"If we have a little pocket here, we're going to have it put out, we're going to put it out fast,” says President Trump. “It's also possible it doesn't come back at all."

But many in the medical world say the virus isn't going to fade away, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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"There will be coronavirus in the fall," says Dr. Fauci.

"Ultimately, a vaccine could inoculate us against the virus, which would be great, in a real significant development, but this is part of our human environment now," says Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent.

Some states, including Georgia, are getting ready to start allowing some businesses to reopen, despite the current threat. Other states, such as Louisiana, may not be back in business soon.

"Yeah, of course I'm worried, I don't want to get it myself," says Louisiana resident Andrew Levy.