The next two weeks are “critical” for US, Fauci warns

States have arrived at a crossroads that will define the coronavirus pandemic in the United States as half of the country struggles to manage rising COVID-19 cases, health experts say, according to USA Today.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert at the National Institutes of Health, told Congress that the next two weeks will be “critical” in how the country addresses the surge in states like Florida, Texas and Arizona.

Experts say states that don’t manage their case counts risk overwhelming the health care system again and infecting neighboring states that have already flattened the curve. While summer travel is expected to decline 15% from last year, AAA still projects 683 million road trips from July to September, which could spread the coronavirus.

All this could happen ahead of the fall, when the coronavirus may reappear in a second wave and likely be accompanied by the flu.