GREENSBORO, N.C. — President Trump said the country is headed into its toughest week of the coronavirus, predicting a surge in cases in the days ahead.
Infections disease expert Christopher Ohl said the Triad is seeing about the same number of cases per day.
"I'm pretty sure it’s because our shelter in place and social distance is working,” Ohl said.
He said larger cities like New York will have a much higher peak, while the Triad will see more of a foot curve, meaning we could be in this fight longer than larger cities.
"I think in the next two weeks we'll have more cases than we've had over the last two weeks per day but I don't think we're going to see this steep and very stressful mountainous increase,” Ohl said.
President Trump said in a press conference Saturday the country is going to see a lot of death as we walk into the worst week of the virus' spread.
Dr. Ohl said Triad hospitals are getting 6 to 7 coronavirus admissions a day, but he doesn't expect that average to change much.
What he does highly encourage is social distancing, because that will help fight the virus from spreading.
"Now is not the time to relax or have neighborhood party's or social gatherings we still need to be doing the shelter in place for a few more weeks,” Ohl said.
Once April ends, Dr. Ohl said the Triad will likely stop seeing a spike in case totals.
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"We're trying to figure out what our exit strategy is going to be,” Ohl said. “We can't keep up social distancing like this forever and it might mean some things are relaxed a bit before others.”
In the meantime, The FDA recommends folks get in the habit of washing their hands as much as possible, avoid close contact with others and buy enough food to last an entire week.
FACTS NOT FEAR
Remember facts, not fear when talking about the coronavirus. You should take the same measures recommended by health leaders to prevent the spread of the flu and other viruses. That means washing your hands, avoiding touching your face, and covering coughs and sneezes.
WHERE YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS IS IMPORTANT
It is important to make sure the information you are getting about the coronavirus is coming directly from reliable sources like the CDC and NCDHHS. Be careful not to spread misinformation about coronavirus on social media.
NC CORONAVIRUS HOTLINE
The state also has a special hotline set up where you can call 866-462-3821 for more information on the coronavirus. You can also submit questions online at ncpoisoncontrol.org or select chat to talk with someone about the virus.
You can also text keyword VIRUS to WFMY News 2 at 336-379-5775 to find out more information.