Surgeon general: ‘This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans’ lives’

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned Sunday amid the coronavirus pandemic that the week ahead would be the “hardest and the saddest” of “most Americans’ lives.”

“This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans’ lives,” Adams said on “Fox News Sunday.”

“This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it’s not going to be localized; it’s going to be happening all over the country,” Adams said.

He added, however, that there “is a light at the end of the tunnel if everyone does their part for the next 30 days.” 

“There is hope, but we’ve also got to all do our part,” he said.

Host Chris Wallace also pressed Adams on President Trump’s repeated promotion of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus treatment. The drug has not been approved for that use, and experts have warned a run on supplies could lead to a shortage for those who need it for its FDA-approved uses.

“Here’s what we’ve advised the president: When people are in a tragic situation, we want them to be able to have a conversation with their health care provider about everything they can do to save their lives,” Adams responded. “We feel a little bit better regarding its safety than we do about a completely novel drug.”

Wallace also asked the surgeon general about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation that Americans wear fabric or cloth masks even as the president has said he likely will not wear one, to which Adams noted that the masks are “not a substitute for social distancing” and added that “the White House doctors and CDC are taking pains to make sure everyone is social distancing in regard to the president.”