Dr. Oz on COVID-19: Could be through the 'worst' of it in 6-8 weeks, we have 15 days of 'holding our breath'
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If America is successful at fighting the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) within the next two weeks, the country could be through the "worst" part of the outbreak within six to eight weeks, Dr. Mehmet Oz said Wednesday.
Appearing on "Fox & Friends" with hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade, Oz said that he was pretty confident in Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams' prediction that within 15 days Americans could potentially be over the hump.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We've got 15 days of holding our breath," he said. "In two weeks we will know exactly how successful we are. We can begin to figure out which levers to modify to release the challenges that we've offered the American public and then about six to eight weeks till we're through the worst of it. I think that prediction is going to turn out to be accurate."
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Oz said part of the problem was that, in some cities, doctors are having to take a bit of a "shotgun approach" because of limited access to testing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"But, once you have testing – which is what they did in South Korea – and you aggressively take folks who are having issues and get them out of the main population, you suffocate this virus, this pandemic, very quickly," he explained. "That's how we can address the virus without suffocating the economy."
The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has crossed over 220,000 and deaths globally rose to more than 9,000. The U.S. has now reported more than 9,000 cases with over 150 deaths reported.
Oz also told the "Friends" hosts that part of the problem was in the panic surrounding the virus.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I actually feel like the doctors are calmer than the average American," he remarked, noting that there are some medications that can work to fight off the virus and stop it from replicating.
"We have a lot of options," he assured. "Those drugs should be funded aggressively right now and I haven't seen enough attention to that and that slows those trials down."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Doocy asked Oz if social distancing and self-isolation was making an impact to aid the cause.
"Without question," he replied.