Surgeon General Jerome Adams speaks during press briefing with the coronavirus task force, at the White House, Thursday, March 19, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The U.S. surgeon general had some serious news Monday — and it’s an eyebrow-raiser when Dr. Jerome Adams actually uses the word “bad.”

Speaking on the Today show about America’s coronavirus outbreak, he laid it out in blunt terms:

“I want America to understand: This week, it’s going to get bad.”

According to Dr. Jerome, the disease is spreading because a lot of people aren’t listening to the warnings. People are still going out and being social.

It’s the unfortunate fact — too many folks are taking the “que sera, sera” approach:

“[E]very single day counts. Every single second counts. And right now, there are not enough people out there who are taking this seriously. And you just see it looking in California — people on the beaches. You see it in Washington D.C. — people out looking at the cherry blossoms. … [U]nfortunately, we’re finding out a lot of people think this can’t happen to them.”

The SG asserted we all should assume we have the Wuhan flu:

“[A]s Tony Fauci has said many times, and people have heard me say this, too: Everyone needs to act as if they have the virus right now.”

Otherwise, national COVID-19 hotbed New York could be leading the way:

“[W]e said this at the beginning of our 15 Days to Stop the Spread initiative, that the numbers you see reflect what happened two weeks ago. We don’t want Dallas, or New Orleans, or Chicago to turn into the next New York. And it means everyone needs to be taking the right steps right now. And that means stay at home.”

But as for Trump using the Defense Production Act to force companies to mass-produce essential supplies, the Big Cheese of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps explained that it isn’t necessary.

Here’s why:

“You don’t need to compel someone to do something they’re already doing.”

Dr. Jerome pointed out that the White House is already working with companies like Hanes and Honeywell, which are already producing large quantities of necessary items.

And here’s perhaps the biggest point: The main solution to America’s coronavirus problem isn’t treatment; it’s prevention:

“[T]he other important point is that we’re not going to ventilate our way out of this problem. We’re not going to treat our way out of this problem. The way you stop the spread of an infectious disease like this is with mitigation measures and preventing people from getting it in the first place.”

Host Savannah Guthrie noted that New York has reported 53% of its cases have involved people aged 18-49 — not exactly the elderly.

In response, Dr. Jerome said young people in particular need to understand the severity of things:

“It’s important for young people to know: You can get this disease, you can be hospitalized from this disease, you can die from this disease. But most importantly, you can spread it to your loved ones. So we need you to really lean in.”

He bottom-lined it, reiterating the edict we all need to follow:

“[T]est or no test, we need you to understand you could be spreading it to someone else. Or you could be getting it from someone else. Stay at home.”

-ALEX

See 3 more pieces from me:

U.S. Surgeon General: There’s Something We Can All Do Right Now to Help Those in Need and Maybe Save Lives

Billy Sings the Blues: A Polyamorous Lover Waxes on the Difficulties of Quarantine With His Girlfriend and Her Boyfriend

Baltimore’s Mayor to Criminals: Stop Shooting People Because Wuhan Coronavirus Victims Need the Hospital Beds

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