Sunday shows preview: US health officials brace for post-holiday COVID-19 surge

U.S. health officials are bracing for a post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases, and the topic is expected to dominate this weekend’s Sunday talk shows. 

The nation surpassed 13 million coronavirus infections on Friday, just six days after the country passed 12 million infections on Nov. 21.

The nation also reached a high of over 90,000 current hospitalizations, breaking the record for the 17th day in a row. 

The rapid increase in infections come as experts warn of more spikes heading into the winter months, forcing Americans to spend more time indoors where the virus can spread easier. The surge in cases also arrived just before the holiday season, when Americans travel and host large indoor gatherings in their homes. 

Health officials and state leaders this week warned Americans not to gather outside of their immediate households and have advised against travel for the Thanksgiving Holiday. 

Anthony Fauci, who is scheduled to appear on ABC’s “This Week,” told PBS earlier this week that he was concerned for the immediate future as Americans traveled for the holiday saying that larger gatherings could lead to increased exposure and more surges. 

“When you leave a location, have to go to an airport or wherever it is, a train station, et cetera, the possibility of exposing yourself, and then going home to your home community for a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving holiday, might actually, unfortunately, be a source of an even amplification of the surge,” Fauci told PBS’s Judy Woodruff. 

White House coronavirus task force coordinator Deborah Birx, who will appear on CBS’s “Face The Nation”, said earlier this month that Americans “needs to be vigilant in this moment because we know when you are we can mitigate this virus and stop the spread together.” 

Earlier in the month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning telling Americans to avoid travel for the holiday, citing an “exponential growth” in COVID-19 cases across the country.

But despite these warnings, the number of Americans who traveled the day before Thanksgiving reached its highest peak since March, when the pandemic first hit U.S. shores. Nearly 1.1 million people traveled on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. 

In his Thanksgiving proclamation issued Wednesday, President Trump called on Americans to gather “in homes and places of worship” for the holiday, contradicting the advice of public health experts. The president is expected to appear on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” 

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows: 

ABC’s “This Week” — Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; William McRaven, retired U.S. Navy admiral who directed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Fauci; retired Adm. Michael Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

CBS’s “Face the Nation” — Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force; Dee Margo, mayor of El Paso, Texas; Mike Duggan, mayor of Detroit; David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Program; Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America.

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Adm. Brett Giroir, the Health and Human Services Department official overseeing the nation’s coronavirus testing; Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff of Georgia; Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Reps.-elect Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and Nancy Mace, R-S.C.

“Fox News Sunday” — Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR); Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ); Dr. Jerome Adams, United States Surgeon General

Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Trump; Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), Senate Joint Economic Committee; Ken Starr, FOX News Contributor

“America This Week” with Eric Bolling — Brett Favre, Hall Of Fame NFL Quarterback