Health officials worry about second coronavirus wave after George Floyd
WASHINGTON - Health officials in the U.S. have new concerns that the nationwide protests over George Floyd's death in police custody could spark a wider spread of the coronavirus after many cities reported bringing the virus under control.
Scott Gottlieb, the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that there are still some “pockets of spread” in communities. He said there has been an uptick in new coronavirus cases in recent days at the epicenter of the protests.
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Minnesota Health Department Spokesman Doug Schultz said Sunday that any spike from the protests will not be seen until six to 10 days after its transmission, the Star Tribune reported. The report pointed out that the Minneapolis provided hundreds of masks for protesters.
Gov. Tim Walz said, according to the paper, that he is "deeply concerned about a super-spreader type of incident … after this. We are going to see a spike in COVID-19. It's inevitable."
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The U.S. has seen more than 1.7 million infections and over 104,000 deaths in the pandemic, which has disproportionately affected racial minorities. Protests over Floyd's death have shaken the U.S. from New York to Los Angeles.
"There's no question that when you put hundreds or thousands of people together in close proximity, when we have got this virus all over the streets ... it's not healthy," Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."
Demonstrators are packed, many without masks, many chanting, shouting or singing. The virus is dispersed by microscopic droplets in the air when people cough, sneeze, talk or sing.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University, told the New York Times that the “outdoor air dilutes the virus and reduces the infectious dose that might be out there, and if there are breezes blowing, that further dilutes the virus in the air. There was literally a lot of running around, which means they’re exhaling more profoundly, but also passing each other very quickly.”
Despite much of the protest and riots taking place outdoors, looters ransacked stores in various cities. The virus is notoriously transmitted by asymptomatic carriers. The Times reported that Keisha Lance Bottoms, the mayor of Atlanta, told those out protesting to “go get a COVID test this week.”