As President Donald Trump pushes for schools to reopen for in-person instruction despite record-breaking coronavirus cases across the U.S. Sun Belt, Adm. Brett Giroir said to expect hospitalizations and death rates to rise in the coming weeks."We do expect deaths to go up. If you have more cases, more hospitalizations, we do expect to see that over the next two or three weeks before this turns around," Giroir told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week" Sunday."It's starting to turn now, but we won't reap the benefits of that for a few weeks," he added.Giroir serves as the assistant secretary of Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, making him the top medical and science adviser to HHS Secretary Alex Azar. While he is not a formal member of the White House coronavirus task force, Giroir in March was tasked with coordinating the federal government's testing response.MORE: No revisions to school reopening guidelines despite Trump demand, just 'additional information': CDC director
Four months into the pandemic, several state and local officials continue to complain that the government still lacks a coherent testing plan. Some cities are putting new limits on who can get tested, closing sites due to a shortage of supplies and reporting slow turnaround times for test results.In a call with reporters earlier this week, Giroir acknowledged the country's testing system is nearing limits and that commercial labs are taking longer to compete non-emergency COVID-19 tests.MORE: Fauci, other health advisers at odds with President Trump on whether to slow testing
Giroir has also repeatedly said that states can't tackle the crisis through testing alone. He and other health officials say the most critical practices in slowing the spread are social distancing and wearing masks.MORE: Trump admin. to flood Jacksonville with free testing ahead of GOP convention
In a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee last month, Giroir told lawmakers he doesn't sleep well at night, "because we have a long way to go."This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
Source : abcnews.go.com
Source : abcnews.go.com