Fauci: US COVID Infections Could Go Up

There could be a rise in COVID-19 cases in the U.S., though according to Dr. Anthony Fauci it’s not likely to prompt a renewal of broad restrictions, Bloomberg wrote Sunday (March 20).

White House chief medical adviser said the country “likely will see an uptick in cases, as we’ve seen in the European countries, particularly the U.K.”

“Hopefully we won’t see a surge,” he said. “I don’t think we will.”

This is in response to the BA.2 subvariant of omicron, which has been driving up infection rates in Europe and Asia, including a notable surge in Hong Kong.

The new subvariant accounts for around 30% of infections in the U.S., where indoor-mask and vaccine requirements have mostly dissipated.

Deaths and hospitalizations in the U.S. have been going down, but BA.2 is roughly 50% more transmissible than the original omicron — though it hasn’t been causing more severe illness or evading vaccines or previous immunities, according to Fauci.

There’s not likely to be much more money allocated for coronavirus needs, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell saying there had been too much money for COVID-19 programs not yet spent.

Read more: Three Pandemic Nesting Trends Likely to Continue in 2022

The new COVID-19 wave will change how people spend their money, with PYMNTS speculating on how the trends will continue in 2022.

Online streaming video subscriptions, for example, are at 1.3 billion, a 14% increase between 2020 and 2021. With a longer timeline to true recovery, streaming services could benefit.

Home improvement trends also sprouted during the pandemic, with double-digit increases in renovation and maintenance.

The report notes that home renovation and maintenance will likely peak in the third quarter but then begin to slow down.

Another trend, restaurant delivery, will also continue. While users of restaurant aggregators often take issue with delivery surcharges, the sheer popularity and convenience of having prepared meals delivered hot will hold its appeal.