During CNN’s “State of the Union” on June 28, Azar told Jake Tapper, “This is a very, very serious situation and the window is closing for us to take action and get this under control.” Azar said that he believes the U.S. is in a better position to handle the pandemic right now due to increased testing, contact tracing, hospital capacity, reserves of personal protective equipment, and advancement toward potential vaccines for the virus. However, the amount of new COVID-19 cases throughout the country shows the opposite. On June 26, America reported 40,173 new cases, breaking the previous record from the day before, according to CNN. The reason behind the rising cases? “Inappropriate individual behavior,” according to Azar. While many people are inclined to fault rapid reopening for enabling the spread of the virus, Azar points to the way individuals are behaving during the reopening. He warned that if Americans “act irresponsibly, if we don’t socially distance, if we don’t use face coverings in settings where we can’t social distance, if we don’t practice appropriate personal hygiene, we’re going to see a spread of the disease.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. With summer in full swing and some regions reopening around the country, some people have abandoned mask protocol and pleas for social distancing. If Azar is correct and America’s window of opportunity to control the virus is in fact closing, following these measures is crucial to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. And for more information on why COVID-19 cases are spiking, check out This Is Exactly Why Coronavirus Cases Are Surging, Harvard Doctor Says.
