Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, officials are becoming increasingly concerned that Detroit will soon become the new outbreak hot spot. After a fierce jump over the past few days, Michigan now ranks third in the nation in new coronavirus-related deaths, trailing only New York and New Jersey.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently expressed his concern for the immediate future of the Motor City on Good Morning America.
"Well, certainly New Orleans ... is in that area where it's worrisome because the spike and peak and dynamic of the curve are starting to resemble a bit of New York,” said Dr. Fauci, according to Detroit Metro Times. “It's a smaller city obviously, so they can't be totally comparable. But the dynamics of the outbreak in New Orleans are worrisome. We're also worried about Detroit. Detroit is starting to show some signs that they're gonna take off."
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan addressed the media on March 25 at a drive-through COVID-19 testing site located at the State Fairgrounds. He also fears that Detroit could become the new epicenter for COVID-19 and assured residents that the city is preparing as if it is expecting the kind of surge that New York had, according to Detroit Metro Times.
Detroit Metro Times reports have stated that one-fifth of Detroit’s police force is under quarantine, after 25 officers have tested positive for the virus, as of March 27.
Across the entire state of Michigan, there were 12,744 confirmed cases and 479 deaths reported, as of April 3, according to Michigan.gov. The majority of total cases are in the three populous Detroit metro-area counties of Oakland, Macomb and Wayne.
Dr. Fauci has warned that the U.S. could see millions of new coronavirus infections and between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths.
As of April 3, the nationwide COVID-19 numbers have grown to over 239,000 confirmed cases and over 5,000 deaths, according to the CDC. The United States now faces the most confirmed cases in the world.
Alerts Sign-up