Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters on Monday that it is likely there will be another coronavirus outbreak in the fall.
“In fact, I would anticipate that that would actually happen,” said Fauci, who is a key member of the White House's coronavirus task force.
President Trump said he hopes "it doesn't happen" when asked about a second outbreak.
Trump said the administration was prepared in the event the virus returns after a period of fading over the summer, after social distancing measures.
Fauci echoed that sentiment, saying if the virus returns “in the fall, it would be a totally different ball game.”
He said the differences would include greater testing ability at the beginning of the outbreak as well as better contact tracing when individuals fall ill.
Fauci said the administration’s abilities would be “orders of magnitude better.”
“We have a vaccine that’s on track” for development on an accelerated timeline, Fauci noted.
Watch: