Top U.S. infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci says Kentucky is among the states he's worried are showing early symptoms of a more serious coronavirus surge.
Speaking with ABC's Good Morning America Tuesday, Fauci pointed to red flags he said he's seeing in the commonwealth and surrounding states.
"The Ohios, the Indianas, the Tennessees, the Kentuckys that are starting to have that very early indication that the percent of cases regarding the number of tests that you have, that the percent is starting to go up. That's a surefire sign that you've really got to be careful," Fauci said.
Kentucky's positivity rate has been hovering just over the five percent mark — that's the threshold at which the World Health Organization advises governments to consider more restrictions and reopening rollbacks.
Dr. Fauci highlighted a troubling per capita increase in Tennessee, which is outpacing Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, but he warned the trend could quickly take hold in the commonwealth as well.
Since Kentucky's case numbers began rising again, the state has instituted a mandatory mask order, closed bars for two weeks, reduced indoor restaurant capacity to 25 percent, and recommended school start delays.
