Despite attempts to postpone or cancel public gatherings like  or , the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to aggressively spread throughout the United States. Axios and NBC, both citing two unnamed sources, reports Dr. Brian Monahan, in-house doctor for Congress, held a private meeting with Capitol Hill staff revealing that nearly one-third of the United States will contract Coronavirus.

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Dr. Brian Monahan held the meeting with administrative staff and personnel from both political parties. As he described methods to avoid spreading the virus further, such as not shaking hands, he mentioned that they estimate there will be anywhere between 70M to 150M cases of Coronavirus in the United States. The estimation is still on par with what health experts have also predicted even as the White House downplayed the severity of the illness. The high numbers, though, do include those who will recover from the illness which is at 80 percent. 

Staffers were informed that the coronavirus testing is currently only available to members of Congress, though Monahan said that staff should go see a doctor if they feel symptoms. Monahan also stated that members of Congress should avoid international travel unless it’s absolutely necessary. Domestic travels haven’t seen any sort of restrictions, though.