US Likely Underestimates New COVID-19 Cases Fueled By Delta Variant, Gottlieb Says

Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Sunday that the United States is likely underestimating the number of COVID-19 cases, as some younger, healthier infected people have mild symptoms and may not think about getting tested.

“I think at this point we’re probably underestimating the number of infections in the states right now, because as many infections are occurring in younger, healthier people who could get mild illness. , they are .. . probably not showing up for testing, ”Gottlieb told host John Dickerson on CBS’s“ Face the Nation ”.

“And since there are revolutionary cases, asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic cases in those who have been vaccinated, they do not show up to be tested because if you have been vaccinated, don’t think that you even have it. coronavirus if you develop mild illness and we don’t do a lot of routine screening right now, unless you work for the New York Yankees, you don’t get tested regularly, ”he added .

The United States is likely underestimating the number of new cases of COVID fueled by the Delta variant: “Since many infections occur in younger people, they probably do not show up for testing. ” @ScottGottliebMD said. pic.twitter.com/CWaAPfKnfc

– Face the Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 18, 2021

Gottlieb’s comments come as the United States sees an increase in COVID-19 cases due to the highly contagious delta variant.

Vaccination rates are also stable, as some community members hesitant about vaccination remain opposed to vaccination. Unvaccinated people account for the majority of recent hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19.

Gottlieb said on Sunday that he believed the delta wave “could be much further ahead than what we are currently detecting.”

“At the height of the epidemic in winter, we were probably returning 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 infections. During the summer wave last summer, we were probably having more than 1 in 10 infections. be something in the order of 1 in 10 or 1 in 20 infections right now because more of these infections are in people who will not show up for the test or they are mild infections and they resolve from them themselves. “said Gottlieb.

“So the people who tend to get tested right now are people who get very sick or people who develop telltale symptoms of COVID like loss of taste or smell, and that’s only about 15. or 20% of people who have been infected, “he added.

Antoine FauciAnthony FauciHillicon Valley: Biden: Social Media Platforms ‘Killing People’ | Tech Executives Increase Lobbying Political Donations | Top House Antitrust Republican Form Harris In Instagram Post With ‘Freedom from Big Tech Caucus’ Starring Olivia Rodrigo: Vaccines Are ‘Good 4 U’ Jen Psaki to Throw First Pitch at National Championships Game MORE, President BidenJoe Biden Biden calls on Congress to pass voting bills on anniversary of John Lewis’ death Afghan and Taliban officials meet in Qatar amid US troop withdrawal Biden administration investigation of “Havana syndrome” cases in Austria MOREThe chief medical adviser of, made a similar statement in May, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he believed there was “no doubt” that the United States had underestimated the cases. of COVID-19.