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Former Biden COVID-19 Advisor Says ‘We Have Every Reason To Believe’ Virus Cases Will Rise

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Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota said Thursday “we have every reason to believe” coronavirus cases will rise.

Osterholm told “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd the virus is either more contagious, results in greater illness or beats “the antibody protection of the vaccine as a natural infection.”

Osterholm, a University of Minnesota epidemiologist who served as a COVID-19 advisor on President Joe Biden’s transition team, said the virus strain that greatly affected the U.K. threatens to do the same in the U.S.

“There’s one [strain] now that is circulating in the United States and growing very quickly in numbers called B.1.1.7,” Osterholm said.

“It originated in the U.K. This is a virus that is anywhere from 40% to 60% more infectious and is one that causes more serious illness,” Osterholm said.

“Many are still in lockdown and have been for up to two months and what happened in each of those countries was when the percentage of the B.1.1.7 went past 50% of all the viruses being found, there was major surges in cases,” Osterholm said.

The U.K. variant has “become the predominant strain and we have every reason to believe what’s happened in Europe will happen here,” Osterholm said.

Osterholm said while case numbers have dramatically decreased in comparison to January and virus deaths and hospitalizations are down, many people aren’t recalling that in the past, virus numbers have risen after decreasing.

“This time we have something very different happening. Since November this virus has been mutating in a way that causes what we say are variants of concern, mutations of concern,” Osterholm said.

WATCH:

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that the state’s businesses can return to full operation next Wednesday and Texans won’t be required to wear masks in public, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted that Mississippi’s businesses can also start fully operating on Wednesday and the state is “lifting all our county mask mandates.”

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One Comment

  1. “Cases” don’t matter. Deaths do.

    Imagine getting hysterical every year when the “cases” of the common cold “rise” during the winter!

    Covid is only dangerous to those already nearing-death (the very old) and/or people with multiple complications (like having obesity, Type II diabetes, and emphysema). Everyone else is fine.

    In all other groups, we build “herd immunity” by interacting, not isolating. We catch “sniffles” from others, develop antibodies, then get stronger.

    Kids are practically immune.

    Imagine Las Vegas “warning” people to stay away because any visitors stand to win 99.98% of the time in casinos. Do you think billions of people around the world would then panic, staying home in bed all day, laying in bed terrified?

    FACT: people who had the bubonic plague did NOT need to be tested to see if they were sick. This whole “pandemic” is a lie, told to make people compliant, docile, and will to lose their freedoms so Big Sister can protect them. Also recall: Fauci is the guy who swore straights would die at rates equal to gays from AIDS. Never happened. He’s a con artist, making money from Covid Hysteria.

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