SC Co. Expert Offers Grim Coronavirus Outlook: Report

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA – Santa Clara County Executive Director Dr. Jeff Smith offered a grim outlook Wednesday as the coronavirus crisis continues to spin out of control, KPIX reports.

Smith had told all county employees earlier in the day not to expect to return to work amid any semblance of normalcy until late February.

“At least,” he told KPIX, “and not even until then.”

Santa Clara County executive officer Dr. Jeff Smith has made some grim predictions about COVID-19. This one maybe the most terrifying. pic.twitter.com/99TUY2BS0U
— Andrea Nakano (@AndreaKPIX) July 23, 2020

According to Smith, after living under shelter-in-place orders for more than four months, “We’re not even near the end of the problem.”

Smith predicts a second wave of the coronavirus and the normal flu season occurring simultaneously combining for a devastating 1-2 punch.

“Best case scenario is probably a combination of a stricter shelter in place for six weeks and be able to really knock down the volume of the virus in the community and the state,” he said.

“Worst case scenario is to keep muddling along, keep doing what is more equivalent to spot fire treatment and struggling for the next 10 years with the same problem.”

Smith is especially bearish on the prospects of developing a vaccine that could potentially eradicate the virus.

“There will never be a vaccine that will be effective,” he said.

“We’ve never been able to develop a vaccine against the common cold or any other coronavirus.”

Read more at KPIX

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know

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