'Pearl Harbor, 9/11 moment': US braces for 'toughest week' as coronavirus cases spike

As the numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths mount in the US, the country's surgeon general warned that this week could resemble a "Pearl Harbor moment" and a "9/11 moment."

The death toll in the US is inching toward 10,000 with the John Hopkins University tracker putting the number of cases over 337,000. 

Speaking to a news channel, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams said, "This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans' lives, quite frankly." 

"This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it's not going to be localized, it's going to be happening all over the country and I want America to understand that," Adams told Fox News. 

"I want Americans to understand that as hard as this week is going to be, there is a light at the end of the tunnel," he added. 

Both Pearl Harbor and 9/11 are considered the two most tragic incidents in US history in 100 years. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a major US Navy base near Honolulu, killed over 2,400 hundred people, destroyed dozens of aircraft and ships. The attack forced the US to officially join the second World War. 

On the other hand, 9/11 is the term used for the September 11 attacks by terrorist group al-Qaeda. It was a series of four coordinated attacks at twin towers in New York, pentagon and Flight 93. 2,977 people of 93 different nationalities were killed, according to official toll. 

'Not under control'

Anthony Fauci, the world's leading infectious disease expert who is also a member of White House coronavirus task force, said Americans should prepare for "a bad week." "I will not say we have it under control," Fauci told CBS Sunday.

The global death toll has reached 69,444 while the total number of recorded cases worldwide are 1,273,990, according to John Hopkins University's tracker. 

The highest number of cases have been recorded in the US where 337,274 are confirmed to have contracted the disease. 9,634 people have so far lost their lives due to COVID-19. 

On Sunday, Adams said his message to the governors who have not yet issued stay-at-home orders would be to consider even just a temporary shutdown.

"If you can't give us a month, give us a week ... give us what you can," Adams said.

'Stay home'

Adams pleaded with state governors to urge residents to stay home for at least the next seven to 10 days. "There is a light at the end of the tunnel if everyone does their part."

According to CNN, there are still eight states that have not issued stay-at-home orders. Adams asked those governors to consider even just a temporary shutdown.

"If you can't give us a month, give us a week ... give us what you can," Adams said.

Fauci has also pleaded states to issue stay-at-home orders. "If you look at what's going on in this country, I just don't understand why we're not doing that," he told CNN in an interview. 

The New York state has been hardest hit by the pandemic, reporting 122,031 confirmed infections and 4,159 deaths. New York was the first state was to declare a lockdown March 20. 

Some US governors have appealed to the White House for a national strategy against the coronavirus. 

'Toughest week' 

President Donald Trump said that this week and next will probably be the toughest in the fight against coronavirus.

Speaking at Saturday's coronavirus task force briefing at the White House, he said, "This will be probably the toughest week between this week and next week, and there will be a lot of death, unfortunately, but a lot less death than if this wasn't done but there will be death." 

On Sunday, Trump reiterated this and said, "We all know that we have to reach a certain point, and that point is going to be a horrific point in terms of death."