The next wave of COVID-19, which could see 100 million new cases in the U.S. this fall and winter, could come in the summer

White House officials have predicted that the United States could see 100 million new cases of COVID-19 this fall and winter, or about 30 percent of the population.

The Biden administration asked Congress in March for $22.5 billion in a funding package to pay for testing, treatment, and prevention of future outbreaks, but that funding has yet to come, CNN reported.

This follows a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that, as of February, 60% of Americans and 75% of US children were infected with the Novel Coronavirus. The report said the number of new cases in the United States could surge.

According to a report in The British newspaper The Times, U.S. government officials predicted that The next wave of The epidemic in The United States could hit southern states this summer as people head there to escape The heat. Other parts of the country, including the north, are expected to see a surge in cases in the fall.

Professor William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in the United States, noted that the next surge in coronavirus cases “has already begun.” “We are seeing more mild cases, which will definitely continue.” As people’s natural immunity starts to decline in the fall and staying indoors more, he said there will be more transmission.

According to the CDC, 36.5 percent of new cases in the US are now infected with the BA.2.12.1 subtype of the Omicron variant, up from 3.5 percent in late March. Professor Schaffner said the BA.2.12.1 subtype was “a very infectious virus” and that its continued spread would lead to “a large number of cases.”