DR. Anthony Fauci, a leading member of the U.S. coronavirus task force, cautioned in congressional testimony that a rushed lifting of coronavirus lockdowns could lead the virus to return with redoubled force.

“There is no doubt, even under the best of circumstances, that when you pull back on mitigation, you will see some cases,” Fauci said in a congressional hearing Tuesday meant to address when schools and businesses could begin to emerge from closures that have affected some 90 percent of all Americans.

He added that, most likely, the official count of 81,000 fatalities from the coronavirus was missing some deaths from the disease. “Most of us feel that the number of deaths are likely higher than that number,” Fauci said, a statement that contradicts a view proffered by some commentators and hosts on Fox News, who claim the government is exaggerating the scope of the pandemic.

Fauci is the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. With his long history of public health efforts, media savvy and willingness to speak blunt truths, Fauci has become one of the nation’s most trusted figures when it comes to the pandemic. His prominence and trustworthiness are bound to make his words of caution carry significant weight with the American public.

Speaking at another point during the hearing, Fauci said he was concerned that reopening too early could lead to “little spikes that might turn into outbreaks.”

Tuesday’s hearing was held before the Senate Health Committee and titled “Safely Getting Back to Work and Back to School.” The committee is chaired by Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a Republican who has exercised a measure of independence from U.S. President Donald Trump.

In his opening remarks, Alexander said that the nation’s coronavirus testing capacity was “impressive but not nearly enough” to see the nation return to normal. That sentiment was echoed sometime later by Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Rapid, extensive and widely available, timely testing is essential to reopening America,” Redfield told the committee.

Many of the senators attended via video link as well. Among those present in the hearing room — reconfigured to meet social distancing requirements and equipped with ample hand sanitizer — face masks appeared to be a largely partisan matter. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine appeared to be the only Republican to wear a face mask.

More than 9 million Americans have been tested for the coronavirus, but that number will have to increase dramatically, according to public health experts. A recent Harvard study called for 20 million tests per day in order for the nation to emerge safely from the pandemic.(SD-Agencies)