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White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx speaks Nov. 19 during a press briefing at the White House.
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“ “You need to assume that you’re infected.” ”
That’s Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, speaking Sunday about people who traveled for Thanksgiving and spent the holiday with a large number of people.
“We know people may have made mistakes over the Thanksgiving time period,” she told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “If you’re young and you gathered, you need to be tested about five to 10 days later. But you need to assume that you’re infected and not go near your grandparents and aunts and others without a mask.”
“And if you’re over 65 or you have comorbidities and you gathered at Thanksgiving, if you develop any symptoms, you need to be tested immediately,” she added.
Birx said she’s “deeply worried” about the likelihood of a post-Thanksgiving surge, which could come on top of an already alarming nationwide surge. Over the long holiday weekend, the U.S. set a new record for COVID-19 hospitalizations, with more than 90,000. The U.S. leads the world with more than 13.3 million cases and nearly 267,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Read: Fauci: U.S. may see ‘surge upon surge’ of coronavirus in the coming weeks
Birx said it’s up to every American to protect themselves and others, even if there are no local government mitigation measures.
“To every American, this is the moment to protect yourself and your family,” she said. “So if your governor or your mayor isn’t doing the policies that we know are critical — masking, physical distancing, avoiding bars, avoiding crowded indoor areas — if those restrictions don’t exist in your state, you need to take it upon yourself to be restricted. You need to not go to these places. You need to protect your family now.”
Birx said she hopes to have her first briefing with the incoming Biden administration Monday.
