Dr. Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, made the comment in an interview with MSNBC on Thursday, Dec. 30.
"Over the next three to four weeks we are going to see the number of cases in this country rise so dramatically, that we're going to have a hard time keeping everyday life operating," he said.
Osterholm added that the country is seeing the strain already in health care settings.
He added that he supports the CDC's decision to shorten the isolation period for those who test positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic.
"I think that it's not perfect," he told MSNBC. "It won't be perfect. But what we have coming before us in the next few weeks is hardly going to allow for just a perfect response. "
Watch the full MSNBC interview here.
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