Surgeon general warns coronavirus could surge over the winter in areas with colder temperatures

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned Sunday that parts of the country with colder temperatures could see a resurgence in the coronavirus this year if vaccinations do not increase.

Mr. Murthy issued the warning during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” to discuss the ongoing pandemic.

“As winter approaches again and as people get prepared for the holidays … we should be prepared for the fact that there may be an uptick in cases that we see in various parts of the country with cold weather,” Mr. Murthy said.

The surgeon general argued that the impact of the virus would be significantly reduced in areas with high vaccination rates.

“A couple of things that are critical for people to keep in mind and number one is if you are vaccinated … your chances of both getting sick and transmitting the virus to someone else are much much lower,” said Mr. Murthy. “So this makes it all the more important as winter approaches to get vaccinated.”

The warning comes as overall coronavirus cases have remained stuck around 70,000 per day for the last two weeks.

Health officials also are beginning to see a stall in the drop among COVID-19 hospitalizations.

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