Professor behind top coronavirus model on revelations from new COVID-19 studies
New study indicates mutation may be more contagious; reaction from Dr. Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at IHME.
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Right now is the "right time" for America to consider safely lifting coronavirus restrictions on a case-by-case basis, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) professor of health metrics sciences Dr. Ali Mokdad urged Saturday.
Appearing on "Cavuto LIVE" with host Neil Cavuto, Mokdad said that the U.S. has to "bring about reopening the country" in a careful manner using the scientific tools at the nation's disposal.
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"And, what's going well for us is the increased numbers of testing that allows us to detect cases early on through the tracing and isolation," he noted.
"[I]t's the right time to consider opening," Mokdad added. "Different states are at different [stages] of the virus circulation and they can do it much easier and much faster than other states."
Protesters against the coronavirus shutdown rally in front of State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 24, 2020. - The coronavirus pandemic soared past 50,000 in the US. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP) (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
"I recommend [making decisions] based on your public health capacity, to do the tracing and the ability to catch the cases early on," he told Cavuto.
"So," Mokdad continued, "if a state has enough people to do the tracing and has the surveillance system in place -- public health [systems have] to be ready for them -- they can do it."
The University of Washington professor explained that the decisions must be made based on where the virus is, the percentage of new cases cropping up, and how much the public health workforce can control outbreaks in specific locations.
"So, it's a balance between how many people you have right now to do the tracing and how much [testing capacity] you have and where the disease is in your own state," he said.
Mokdad said California is in a "better position" to roll out a reopening than states such as New York -- the epicenter of the virus.
"My state is in a good position right now to consider opening sometime next week," he added.
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On Friday, California allowed some lower-risk businesses, public spaces, retail stores and manufacturers to resume operations. On Saturday, restrictions were also lifted for Nevada, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
There are now 39 states that have partially reopened.