A US doctor predicts a 'massive surge' in coronavirus cases nationwide in the coming weeks, but says this is 'not the zombie apocalypse'

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• Dr. Dena Grayson issued a warning on Twitter that the United States could be facing a "massive surge" in coronavirus cases.
• COVID-19 will impact "every single state, very likely and very very soon," she predicted.
• In the US, 78 people have tested positive for coronavirus and two people have died, as of Monday.
• Although the situation is likely to worsen, "it is not the end of the world" and people can take precautionary measures to protect themselves and others, Grayson said.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A doctor on Sunday made a grave prediction about coronavirus in the United States, but, with it, offered some good news.

Dr. Dena Grayson wrote on Twitter that, after spending years trying to develop a medical treatment for Ebola, she is "VERY concerned" about COVID-19 evolving into a pandemic.

According to Grayson, US citizens should brace for a "massive surge" in coronavirus cases in the next roughly three weeks, Newsweek first reported.

"Unfortunately, I predict that it won't be long before nearly every state joins the #coronavirus 'party' that no one wants to attend," she wrote on Twitter.

Expect a massive surge in #COVID19 cases for the next 3 weeks or so. If we’re lucky, the seasonal ebb-and-flow of #coronavirus will lead to a reduction of cases over the summer.

But I predict an even larger 2nd wave next Fall/Winter, unless a #vaccine is available (unlikely). https://t.co/NwuvHAAI2j

— Dr. Dena Grayson (@DrDenaGrayson) March 2, 2020

Unfortunately, I predict that it won’t be long before nearly every state joins the #coronavirus “party” no one wants to attend, if not during this first wave of #COVID19, then during a 2nd wave starting in the Fall.😐 https://t.co/ubMXuoLDMT

— Dr. Dena Grayson (@DrDenaGrayson) March 2, 2020

So far, COVID-19 has infected 89,000-plus people and killed more than 3,000. After originating in Wuhan, China, it has affected every region and province on the mainland, which continues to be the worst-hit nation. Since December, however, it has spread to nearly 70 other countries. And in the United States, 78 people have tested positive for coronavirus and two people have died, as of Monday.

According to a blog post by Harvard University, flu transmits faster and easier in the winter because viruses are "happier in cold, dry weather and thus better able to invade our bodies."

This applies to the coronavirus, and Grayson said she is anticipating a "seasonal ebb-and-flow of coronavirus will lead to a reduction of cases over the summer." Unless a vaccine becomes available quickly, she wrote, "I predict an even larger 2nd wave next Fall/Winter." Countries in the southern hemisphere, however, are likely to see a surge sooner because their seasons are reversed.

However, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said last week that officials will likely need between 12 and 18 months to develop a vaccine that can treat COVID-19 because of the rounds of animal and human testing that have yet to occur.

© Michael Brochstein / Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

• The Trump administration reportedly barred Anthony Fauci, a top US experts on infectious disease, from speaking publicly about the coronavirus outbreak without approval.
• Some of Fauci's statements about the virus have been at odds with claims from President Trump.
• US public-health experts are angry, and one said his silence "is a threat to public health and safety."
• Fauci has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. He's tackled the AIDS, Zika, and Ebola epidemics.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Anthony Fauci has guided the US through the AIDS, Zika, and Ebola epidemics.

He's been the director of the US' National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984, advising six presidents. George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008.

Fauci is now helping to lead the response to the new coronavirus outbreak.

But the Trump administration has reportedly told Fauci and other top health officials "not to say anything else without clearance" from the White House, according to The New York Times. A NIAID spokesperson told Business Insider that "this is not true," however.

Fauci's comments about the coronavirus have contradicted Trump's several times. Whereas Trump said the US "will essentially have a flu shot for this in a fairly quick manner," Fauci has estimated that we're between a year and a year-and-a-half away from a coronavirus vaccine. Trump also expressed optimism that COVID-19 - the disease the virus causes - will disappear, but Fauci has suggested the world is on the brink of a pandemic.

US health experts were angry about the White House's restrictions on Fauci's speech, the Times reported, given that the world is in the midst of one of the worst public-health crises in years.

"Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama trusted Tony Fauci to be their top adviser on infectious disease, and the nation's most trusted communicator to the public," Ronald Klain, who led the Obama administration's response to the 2014 Ebola crisis, tweeted on Thursday.

He added, "If Trump is changing that, it is a threat to public health and safety."

Here are some of Fauci's biggest accolades and achievements.

Grayson, who unsuccessfully pursued the Democratic nomination for Florida's 9th congressional district in 2016, shared a video on Twitter that relied on her experience developing a medical treatment for Ebola. In it, she offered people her take on COVID-19 and steps they can take to better protect themselves.

"This [COVID-19] is going to go to every single state, very likely and very very soon," she said. "So we should expect a lot more cases over the coming weeks.

"We've got a pretty rocky four to six weeks coming. I want folks to be prepared for that."

I spent years developing an #Ebola treatment. From the outset, I have been VERY concerned about the #pandemic risk for this #coronavirus.

VIDEO answering your questions about the #CoronavirusOutbreak, and what you can do to protect yourself.👇🏼#COVID19https://t.co/bUWqKrefl7

— Dr. Dena Grayson (@DrDenaGrayson) March 1, 2020

Fauci echoed Grayson's sentiment.

"When you start to see sustained transmission in other countries throughout the world, it's inevitable that it will come to the United States," he told NBC News.

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also agreed.

"Ultimately we expect we will see community spread in the United States. It's not a question of if this will happen, but when this will happen, and how many people in this country will have severe illnesses," she said.

Even so, Grayson doesn't believe there's need to panic and instead encouraged people to take a "collective deep breath."

"This is again not the zombie apocalypse, it's not the end of the world," she said. "It's bad and, unfortunately, it's going to get worse" but people can "prepare and be ready for what's next."

Grayson urged people to think of 2020 as "a really, really, really, really, bad flu year," adding, "For most folks, this virus is a little bit more dangerous than the typical seasonal flu but not a ton."

© MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images

People who live in areas where coronavirus cases are beginning to emerge should estimate the outbreak's start date by going about two to three weeks into the past, Grayson suggested. The virus has an incubation period of up to 14 days and it can take a while for people to present symptoms that will prompt a trip to the doctor.

People who are older are more susceptible to the coronavirus as are people who already deal with diabetes, and other heart and lung conditions, Grayson said.

Precautions include washing your hands with warm water and soap for about 20 seconds when you return home and also carrying wet wipes. Grayson also suggested not shaking hands or touching things in public spaces, if it's not needed. If someone needs to cough or sneeze, she encouraged people to use a tissue and throw it away instantly.

If, despite all these steps, people worry that they may have contracted COVID-19, Grayson asked them to call their doctor's clinic or local hospital for protocol that they might suggest.

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• The Trump administration barred a top US disease expert from speaking freely to the public after he warned the coronavirus might be impossible to contain
• The US just reported its 2nd coronavirus death - another patient in Washington state