Houston doctor warns current COVID trends will lead to 'darkest days in modern American medical history'

A Houston, Texas doctor is warning about the dark days ahead as the coronavirus continues its accelerated spread in states across the country.

During an appearance on CNN, Dr. Joseph Varon weighed in on the coronavirus pandemic as he prepared for his 251st consecutive day on the job. As he discussed the current surge many states are experiencing as a result of the latest relentless wave of the coronavirus, he warned that the United States could see its "darkest days in modern American medical history."

"There's no questions that the patients are coming into the hospital. They are coming in sicker and they're coming in sicker because you know, they're waiting longer to come to the hospital. They're tired of Corona. They have what I call the Corona fatigue syndrome," Varon told Berman.

"[U]nfortunately my concerns for the next 6 to 12 weeks is that if we don't do things right, America is going to see the darkest days in modern American medical history," he added. "My hospital is full. I just opened two new wings so that I can accommodate for the next few days, because I know that a lot of people are going to get sick after Thanksgiving."

Varon's remarks follow Dr. Anthony Fauci's warning on Sunday. The top infectious disease expert acknowledged Americans' "COVID fatigue" as he stressed the importance of remaining vigilant amid the current spread of the virus across the country.

"When you get COVID fatigue, which is entirely understandable, that people just throw up their hands and say 'heck, we're not going to be able to do anything about it, let's just do what we want to do,' that's the wrong decision, because vaccines are coming and they're going to be available relatively soon if we can hang in there with the mitigation methods."

Last Friday, Nov. 20, the United States reached a grim milestone reporting nearly 200,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day. As of Wednesday, Nov. 25, the United States has reported more than 13 million positive coronavirus cases as the death toll inches toward 270,000.