Coronavirus ‘second wave’ debate ‘misses the whole point,’ experts say

As a succession of states have noticed a troubling rise in COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks, the Trump administration has become more vocal in countering claims that the nation needs to brace for a so-called "second wave."

Last week, Larry Kudlow, the White House economic adviser, proclaimed on Fox News that the uptick in cases "is no emergency and there is no second wave." This week, Vice President Mike Pence echoed that sentiment in a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled, "There Isn't a Coronavirus 'Second Wave."

"The media has tried to scare the American people every step of the way, and these grim predictions of a second wave are no different," Pence wrote.

Pence and Kudlow may be correct to assert that the country is not entering a second wave, but only, experts said, because this is still the first. A consensus of epidemiologists believes the risk of a second wave remains real, but will likely come in the fall. And because the potential for the virus to expand its reach remains a significant cause for concern, they said this is no time to relax preventive measures such as social distancing, hand-washing and mask wearing.