US States rush to reopen may boomerang: Fauci

New York: America's top infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci cautioned that it would be a "bridge too far" to think that Covid19 treatment or vaccines would be ready in time for the Fall 2020 reopening of schools, urged everyone to be extremely careful with children and warned of "really serious" consequences if states lift stay-at-home orders too quickly, even as President Donald Trump pushes them to act against the backdrop of a free-falling economy.

Fauci, who is self-quarantining after a White House staffer tested positive for the virus, is one among four health experts who testified remotely to a Senate panel. Besides Fauci, the other experts included FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, Dr. Robert Redfield, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- both in self-quarantine -- and Adm.

Brett Giroir, from the Department of Health and Human Services."The idea of having treatments available or a vaccine to facilitate the reentry of students into the full term would be something that would be a bit of a bridge too far," Fauci said.

He explained that the drugs that have shown efficacy so far have been used on hospitalised patients and are not even close to being used as prophylaxis or treatment for students.

"Even at the top speed we're going, we don't see a vaccine, playing to the ability of individuals to get back to school, this term," Fauci said, putting an official stamp on the likely medical state of play this September. Fauci urged Americans to "better be very careful particularly when it comes to children" because this cohort is now presenting with inflammatory symptoms very similar to Kawasaki Syndrome.