If COVID cases surge, what then?
This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring. States are easing COVID-19 lockdowns, and many Americans are joyously leaping in with both feet, lowering their masks and their concerns about distancing as summer nears. But cases are continuing to rise in several states, and scientists expect a second wave in the fall. Based on public statements and news reports, however, there appears to be little will among some average Americans and a number of politicians and corporate executives to reinstitute the broad, economically costly closures of March, April, and May. That is making some scientists and public health experts concerned. “How are we going to manage the next round of mitigation efforts?” said Yonatan Grad, the Melvin J. and Geraldine L. Glimcher Assistant Professor of Immunology and...