Dr. Anthony Fauci Says Double-Masking Likely 'More Effective,' U.K. COVID Strain in 20 States

toward the end of last year—is confirmed in more than 20 states, according to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And that's the reason why you see people either double-masking or doing a version of an N95," said the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden.

The country's seven-day average of daily new cases has declined since earlier this month, after reaching a record 254,862 on January 11, according to data from Worldometer.

Asked whether the recent drop in cases could mark the beginning of the end of the pandemic or be a sign that the worst is behind us, Fauci told Today: "It's [the recent drop in cases] just a natural peaking and then plateauing and coming back down.

Speaking to Newsweek at the end of last month, Fauci said the vital safety measures that health officials have been "talking about all along" should be followed in order to mitigate any mutation that helps the virus spread more easily.

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 100.3 million people, including just over 25.4 million in the U.S., since it was first reported in Wuhan, China.

More than 2.1 million people have died worldwide and more than 55.4 million have recovered as of Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.