Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has told a US House committee that the coronavirus outbreak in the US is going to get worse, AP reports.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield reports that US virus deaths are now up to 31 and confirmed cases are over 1,000.

Fauci told the House Oversight and Reform Committee in Washington on Wednesday that “I can say we will see more cases and things will get worse than they are right now.”

He says how much worse it gets depends on two things — the ability of US authorities to curtail the influx of travelers who may be bringing the disease into the country and the ability of states and communities to contain local outbreaks in this country.