Doctor warns next coronavirus surge is coming sooner than we think
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Viral illnesses tend to slow down during the summer, but the coronavirus appears to be doing just the opposite as the Delta variant sweeps the nation.
News 8’s Dr. Mary Gillis spoke with Dr. Amy Beth Kressel, an infectious disease expert at Eskenazi Health, who says a more powerful wave is coming as the cooler, drier temperatures arrive in the coming weeks.
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Below is the complete interview:
Gillis: Do you have any thoughts about the coronavirus and what to expect as we move into the fall and winter months?
Kressel: I don’t know. We want to get schools open. There is a lot of debate about whether kids should wear masks in school and I know different school districts have had different ideas. Maybe kids don’t have to wear masks if everyone is vaccinated.
I don’t know what we’re going to be seeing then because as I said we have seen these waves of infection. Last summer infections dropped early in the summer and rose again in the fall. We’re still seeing more variants. COVID is not in control outside the U.S. and what happens outside of our country will affect us.
I don’t have a crystal ball, but I think it is very possible infections will be rising in the fall as schools open. And I want schools to be open, but I think we have to be really thoughtful about whether or not kids should wear masks and even with vaccines maybe they will have to wear masks. It depends on how many people are vaccinated.
