Dr. Anthony Fauci Anthony FauciOvernight Health Care: US coronavirus deaths hit 200,000 | Ginsburg's death puts future of ObamaCare at risk | Federal panel delays vote on initial COVID-19 vaccine distribution White House seeks to change subject from 200K COVID-19 deaths Putin calls on UN to strengthen World Health Organization MORE, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday that there are signs that mitigation strategies implemented in response to the coronavirus pandemic may be starting to have an impact on the number of COVID-19 cases.

“We're starting to see glimmers that that is actually having some dampening effect,” Fauci said in an interview with CNN’s Jim Sciutto. “But that does not take away from the seriousness of what you've described on this show.”

Fauci noted that the number of cases is still increasing, and virus hotspots like New York are “appropriately” trying to accommodate by opening up facilities to help manage the number of cases.

ADVERTISEMENT

In New York City, the Javits Center and a U.S. Navy hospital ship docked in the city's harbor are being set up to treat patients without the disease as hospitals reach capacity.

“We are still in a very difficult situation. We hope, and I believe it will happen, that we may start seeing a turnaround, but we haven’t seen it yet,” Fauci said. “We’re just pushing on the mitigation to hope that we do see that turnaround.”

Fauci said the next couple of weeks are a “critical time,” when asked how Americans should be preparing for the coming weeks.

President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE announced Sunday the White House will keep its guidelines for social distancing in place through the end of April.

Across the U.S., there’s more than 164,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,178 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.