Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US public health specialist and member of the White House coronavirus task force, said the US would not experience a "second wave" of COVID-19 outbreaks.
The US has reported over 2 million cases of COVID-19 and nearly 115,000 deaths, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
Many experts fear attempts to reopen shuttered state economies, as well as mass protests over the police brutality and structural racism could contribute to a second surge in coronavirus infections.
Cases across the US have been on the rise over the first two weeks of June. Fourteen states and Puerto Rico reported their biggest-ever seven-day average of new coronavirus cases since the pandemic started, according to data monitored by the Washington Post.
"However, when you begin to see increases in hospitalizations, that is a surefire situation that you've got to pay close attention to," Fauci told CNN. He also disclosed there may not be a so-called "second wave" of coronavirus cases as some scientists and medical experts are predicting.
Fauci urged Americans to continue to follow the guidelines for social distancing and wearing face masks. As of Saturday, based on data from Johns Hopkins University at least 13 states showed an upward trend in daily COVID-19 cases.
States like California, Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, Utah, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina are witnessing rising numbers of positive COVID-19 cases. A big portion of these are being linked to Memorial Day weekend activities, in which large crowds gathered throughout the weekend, potentially exposing themselves to the disease.
When the coronavirus pandemic first hit the U.S., states like New York, California, New Jersey, Illinois and Michigan saw a worrying number of cases, pushing many medical facilities on the edge.
New York City became the virus' epicenter, with more than 385,000 cases and over 30,000 fatalities as of June 12. However, cases have been decreasing over the last few weeks and the city is entering phases of reopening along with other regions of the state.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 80 percent of Americans have self-isolated in the last month and 74 percent have either always or often wore face coverings in public. New York and Los Angeles residents did this about 90 percent of the time.
The CDC disclosed that it could not confirm reports of huge spikes in COVID-19 hospitalizations but would keep a close eye on the numbers.
