Michael Osterholm is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
And according to HuffPost, he has a grim prognostication for the next six to 12 weeks, saying they're going to be 'the darkest of the entire pandemic.'
HuffPost says Osterholm points to the daily tally of 70,000 new COVID-19 cases in the US on Friday, which is the highest level since July.
He said that between now and the holidays, the number of COVID-19 cases in the US will likely 'blow right through that.'
Speaking on NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday, Osterholm said he was troubled by the US's lack of a leading voice to guide the public.
Vaccines will not become available in any meaningful way until early to the third quarter of next year.
And even then, about half of the U.S. population at this point is skeptical of even taking the vaccine.
Michel Osterholm Director, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota
