Fauci says US 'still in the first wave' as six states see record Covid-19 cases

America’s top public health expert has warned the nation it is “still in the first wave” of coronavirus infections and deaths, as six states report record numbers of new cases amid continued rapid easing of lockdown restrictions.

Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus taskforce, expressed worry about new hotspots for infections in major US states, while also advising that “personally, I would not” attend Donald Trump’s first political rally in months, due on Saturday, in Oklahoma, where vast crowds are expected despite rising Covid-19 cases.

Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas reported record increases in coronavirus cases on Tuesday, while Nevada recorded its highest ever number of single-day cases.

In recent days North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama have reportedly set new highs in seven-day rolling average of Covid-19 cases, as many states have allowed some businesses and public spaces to reopen after months of restrictions.

“As New York and other places are coming down, others are going up,” Fauci, who is also the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the Boston Globe about different areas seeing decreases or increases in new cases.

“Obviously, we’re concerned about it.”

Despite Oklahoma’s alarming rise in coronavirus cases – a record 591 new cases were reported on Monday, and cases in the state rose by 68% last week – Donald Trump will hold a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma’s second-largest city, on Saturday – his first since March, when the pandemic took hold in the US.

Fauci said he personally would choose not to attend such an event due to the risk of contracting coronavirus. And he warned that talk of whether the US was now experiencing a second wave of Covid-19 cases was premature.

“We are seeing infections to a greater degree than they had previously seen in certain states, including states in the south-west and in the south,” Fauci told the Daily Beast. “I don’t like to talk about a second wave right now, because we haven’t gotten out of our first wave.”

Oklahoma health officials are urging anyone attending the rally to get tested before arriving, and then to self-isolate afterwards and get tested again. People over 65 have been told to stay at home. The Trump election campaign will recommend the indoor audience wear masks, but is not going to mandate it.

The Oklahoma governor, Kevin Stitt, a Republican, said officials would try to make sure the event was as safe as possible. “Ultimately, the president doesn’t ask for permission before he” goes to places, said Stitt on Wednesday.

The mayor of Tulsa, GT Bynum, also a Republican, said he would not attend the rally.

Vice-President Mike Pence has claimed the US has “slowed the spread”, and both Pence and the president have claimed the worrying increase in coronavirus cases is due to more testing.

Fauci said this was not true.

“When you look at the number of hospitalizations, and you see some of the states say, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m having more hospitalizations than I had before,’ that cannot be due to increase in testing. That has to be due to increase in real cases,” he told the Globe.

Hospitalizations are continuing to rise in the states reporting infection increases.

At Tucson medical center in Arizona on Monday, only one intensive care unit bed out of 20 was available.

“ICU to be expanded, hopefully, in coming days,” Dr Steven Oscherwitz, an infectious disease expert at the hospital, said in a tweet on Monday night. “Not sure where people needing ICU care will be able to go, since most AZ [Arizona] hospitals are pretty full now.

“Better contact your governor (quickly!)”

In Florida, 260 workers at the Orlando international airport tested positive for coronavirus, the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, said. DeSantis said almost 500 workers had been tested at the airport after two people contracted the virus.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would monitor the impact of the mass anti-racism protests the city has seen before allowing more businesses to reopen.

“We’re all mindful we had a very unique situation with the protests,” De Blasio said on Wednesday, according to NBC News.

In Oklahoma Trump supporters have been camping outside the rally venue for days, despite the risks.

Tulsa residents and business owners were thwarted in their attempt to block the rally, which will take place at the indoor, 19,000-capacity BOK Center, on Tuesday. Residents had filed a lawsuit in an effort to have the rally cancelled, “to protect against a substantial, imminent, and deadly risk to the community”, but a judge refused the request.

On Monday Trump – who has previously lied about the number of people at his rallies and events – said “almost 1 million people” had requested tickets for the event.

Fauci has warned people against attending the rally, which had originally been planned for Friday, a date which marks the end of slavery in the US, before the Trump campaign switched the date amid widespread criticism.

Asked if he would personally attend the campaign rally, Fauci said: “No.”

“I’m in a high-risk category. Personally, I would not. Of course not,” he said. With regard to Trump’s rallies, Fauci said “outside is better than inside, no crowd is better than crowd” and “crowd is better than big crowd”.

Tulsa’s chief public health officer, Bruce Dart, and the Tulsa World newspaper have urged Trump to cancel the rally.