US could witness 10,000 COVID-19 infections per day, warns country's top health expert Anthony Fauci

United States Coronavirus task force member Anthony Fauci on Tuesday informed that the country could record 100,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day if people fail to follow safety procedures.

"We are now having 40-plus thousand new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around and so I am very concerned," CNN quoted Fauci as saying.

He was addressing the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee during a hearing on the pandemic.

Fauci further said that he is not satisfied with the "curves of the new cases", and added that something needs to be done, otherwise, "It's going to be very disturbing".

He elaborated that due to the current political climate pertaining to the George Floyd incident, Americans are gathering in large numbers all over the country without wearing masks. He also stated that Americans are no paying proper attention to the guidelines on reopening.

"I think we need to emphasize the responsibility that we have, both as individuals and as part of a societal effort to end the epidemic, that we all have to play a part in that," Fauci said.

Fauci also pointed out that he was very "optimistic" that a potential vaccine for the virus could bee ready by the end of 2020 or early 2021.

In the United States, the COVID-19 tally has crossed the 2.6 million mark, with 826000 deaths.