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CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen on Monday told viewers to cancel their Christmas plans and warned that Americans should “absolutely not gather indoors” to celebrate upcoming holidays with anyone outside their immediate family amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“The incubation period for Covid-19 is up to 14 days. The average is about five to seven days and so, what that means is, we had Thanksgiving and people returning from Thanksgiving about a week ago. So this week, we’re going to see the impact of that Thanksgiving surge,” Wen said on “New Day,” predicting that coronavirus numbers will rise.
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“We’re going to see increases of hospitalizations and hospitals are already on the brink," Wen continued. "So where is the reserve capacity? Where are patients going to be going at this point? I’m also deeply concerned about deaths going up. At some point, we’re going to be surpassing 3,000 deaths per day, maybe even 4,000 deaths per day.
“Our surge right now is intensifying. It is amplifying. And I hope that people realize that hospitals are the last line of defense.”
The CNN medical analyst said the community is the first line of defense, so “we really need everyone to do their part to flatten the curve” in order to combat the ongoing pandemic.
“That means, of course, wearing a mask, keeping physical distancing, but also so critically at this point, avoiding indoor gatherings. Anyone who has not canceled their plans yet for Christmas and the New Year should cancel their travel plans and absolutely not gather indoors with anyone who is not in their immediate family,” Wen said.
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CNN and other liberal outlets have been criticized throughout the pandemic for frowning upon religious gatherings and congregating to celebrate holidays while largely dismissing coronavirus-related concerns at events such as protests and pro-Biden celebrations.
As of Monday, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 67,132,062 people across 191 countries and territories, resulting in at least 1,537,070 deaths. In the U.S., all 50 states plus the District of Columbia have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, tallying more than 14,760,624 illnesses and at least 282,312 deaths.
Fox News’ Alexandria Hein and David Aaro contributed to this report.