It is the fifth month since coronavirus has broken out around the globe, and the severely affected US now has over 100,000 COVID-19 fatalities, with an unemployment rate of 20% - 25%. The economic pressure forces the states to reopen their economies gradually. However, seeing the rising infection cases and lack of national guidelines, people doubt if it’s safe to return to work and fear that new infections may surge again.
China Philanthropist interviewed Dr. Deliang TANG, Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Columbia University Medical Center, and a member of the Faculty Advisory Committee of Columbia Global Centers | Beijing, discussing the US’s reopening plan amid the pandemic. Main points of the interview are as follows:
- People should look at the death rates in the population and confirmed cases rather than the sheer number of fatalities.
- There would be a second wave of the COVID-19 cases, but not as severe as the first.
- Instead of “clear-up,” we should keep the infection rate low and controllable.
- The US has invested a lot of money in monitoring the reopening. The situation may fluctuate after people starting to go back to work, but it will not be severe.
- The COVID-19 vaccine could still be far ahead.
Read the full story (in Chinese) here.
