Top health official warns against going to grocery store 'every day' as US coronavirus cases soar

Official urges Americans to do 'anything you can do to protect yourself to avoid yourself from getting this virus'

A top health official in the United States has warned Americans against going to the grocery store “every day” as the number of coronavirus cases throughout the country continued to soar.

Brett Giroir, assistant secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, said on Monday that people should avoid running daily errands even if they live in regions of the US that have not yet seen a major outbreak of the novel virus.

“You really need to keep your contact with others and surfaces to a minimal,” the assistant health secretary, who serves on the White House coronavirus response task force, told NBC’s Today Show. “If you need to get groceries, do it, but don’t go every day to the grocery store like many people do, do it as infrequently as possible.”

He also advised Americans to instead consider “takeout” alternatives and other options that would limit their possible exposure to Covid-19.

“Anything you can do to protect yourself to avoid yourself from getting this virus and being in the hospital for a month or potentially facing death,” he added, “I think it's advised to do that."

His guidance came after days of similar warnings from other members of the administration’s task force, including Dr Deborah Birx, who said at a news conference on Saturday that “the next two weeks are extraordinarily important” in regards to social distancing.

She added: “This is the moment to not be going to the grocery store and not be going to the pharmacy – but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe.”

The White House coronavirus task force extended an initial 15-day initiative to “slow the spread” of the virus just last week, advising the nation to practice self-isolation and social distancing measures for another 30 days. The measures are meant to help “flatten the curve” by lowering the frequency of transmissions and keeping the country’s hospital systems within capacity.

There have been at least 337,933 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre, which tracks the spread of the virus around the world.

More than 9,000 people across the country have died due to complications from the virus, with health officials noting those figures are likely far higher due to a lack of expansive Covid-19 testing. Official estimates have predicted as many as 100,000 to 240,000 Americans may die in the coronavirus pandemic.

Donald Trump has meanwhile touted a drug called hydroxychloroquine, which has not been proven to be a successful treatment for Covid-19 cases, claiming the medicine may help put an end to the national crisis.

“What do you have to lose?” the president said on Sunday, noting the government has a stockpile of 29 million hydroxychloroquine pills. "I’m not looking at it one way or another. But we want to get out of this. If it does work, it would be a shame if we didn’t do it early."

He added: “What do I know? I’m not a doctor.”

Mr Trump originally wanted to end the White House social distancing guidelines by Easter Day, but walked back those hopes in public comments after speaking to the nation’s leading health experts.