RELATED: Dr. Fauci Just Gave This Sobering Update About COVID This Winter. During an appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation on Nov. 14, host Margaret Brennan pointed out to Gottlieb that 20 states reported a rise in infections after a weeks-long sustained decline. She then asked whether or not it was realistic to expect a surge of cases after the Thanksgiving holiday when many people will be traveling and congregating with loved ones. “We’re going to see a post-holiday spike, there’s no question about that,” Gottlieb agreed. But, he added: “People are exhausted right now, but we need to remain vigilant just for a little bit longer.” Gottlieb explained that not all areas of the country are likely to be affected in the same way. While certain areas, including the Pacific Northwest, the Plains States, and the South appear to be stable, others are at a higher risk to see another COVID spike. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. “If you’re in the southwest right now, you’re in the Great Lakes region, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, you’re in parts of New England or western Pennsylvania or northern New York, or certain mountain states like Colorado, things don’t look good,” Gottlieb warned. “You haven’t experienced the Delta wave yet, and things are going to get worse before they get better.” RELATED: This Is the “Bad News” About COVID Right Now, Virus Expert Warns. Gottlieb isn’t the first expert to raise the possibility that the next COVID spike could be looming. During a Nov. 8 interview with NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly, White House COVID advisor Anthony Fauci, MD, also warned that while “things are going in the right direction with the diminution of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths,” there are still plenty of signs of trouble ahead, saying: “The steepness of the deflection is not as good as it was, let’s say, a month or so ago … it’s down to a lower number.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb He cautioned that even though the upcoming holiday season presented a unique set of challenges, it could still be stopped using tools already at our disposal. “As we go into the winter months with the challenge of a respiratory infection being worse in the winter months, we can get through this if we really put a lot of effort into getting as many people vaccinated as we possibly can,” Fauci told NPR. Fortunately, even though he still predicts another spike in COVID cases, Gottlieb’s overall outlook remains relatively upbeat on the remaining timeline. “I think we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of declining prevalence on the back end of this Delta wave and also with the deployment of new technology that we have,” he said. “We now have orally available drugs that should be available in the first quarter. We have vaccines available to children. So, we see that point in time when this is going to still be a pervasive risk, COVID, but it’s not going to be the prevalent risk it is right now where [it] dominates our lives.” Gottlieb has also recently made other cautiously optimistic predictions about the pandemic. While discussing upcoming vaccine mandates set to go into effect on Jan. 4 during a Nov. 5 interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, the former FDA chief said that we might be closer to putting the virus behind us than many realize. “By Jan. 4, this pandemic may well be over, at least as it relates to the United States after we get through this Delta wave of infection. And we’ll be in a more endemic phase of this virus,” Gottlieb said. RELATED: Dr. Fauci Says He Would Take This COVID Precaution “In a Second.”
