Expect a Massive Surge in COVID Cases After This Date, Experts Say

The waning days of summer have brought mostly good news in the fight against the coronavirus. With newly reported cases on the decline across most of the country, many states are seeing their mitigation efforts start to have a positive effect. But some experts are beginning to raise the alarm that the pandemic is far from over, saying they expect there to be a massive surge in COVID cases after Labor Day weekend.Many doctors and public health officials have expressed concern that the travel, gatherings, and family reunions that will likely take place over the popular holiday weekend will have far-reaching effects that will send numbers back in the wrong direction, CNN reports. Some also fear that a false sense of security brought on by falling COVID case counts and overall "pandemic fatigue" will lead people to fall short on safety precautions, such as wearing face masks and social distancing—especially among family members who've been separated for long stretches."I'm worried about Labor Day because people may have the impression that cases are coming down," Ali Mokdad, MD, epidemiologist and professor of health metrics sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, told CNN. "Despite the fact that COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death, people still doubt that we have a problem."