(The Center Square) – Speaking on NBC Monday morning, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said Americans should expect for a “bad” week when it comes to developments surrounding the coronavirus.
“I want America to understand. This week, it’s going to get bad,” Adams told NBC’s Savannah Guthrie.
Adams said COVID-19 continues to spread because not everyone is taking health officials advice – and many governors orders – regarding social distancing.
“This is how the spread is occurring. So we really, really need everyone to stay at home,” Adams said. “I think that there are a lot of people who are doing the right things, but I think that unfortunately we’re finding out a lot of people think this can’t happen to them.”
COVID-19 is the official name of the novel coronavirus that originated in China in December. Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, coughing and trouble breathing.
Most people who have it develop only mild symptoms. But some people, usually the elderly and those with other medical complications, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.
More than 35,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the U.S. including 414 deaths. Both numbers are expected to increase significantly in the coming days.