Washington, July 14 (RHC)-- Top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci has ascribed the surge in U.S. coronavirus cases to the country's failure to shut down completely, then a rush to reopen too soon, and urged a commitment to guidelines to snuff out the disease.

He stressed basic protections including physical distancing, wearing masks, avoiding crowds and washing hands.  "Those things, as simple as they are, can turn it around.  I think we can do that and that's what we've got to do," he said.

In related news, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 3,296,599 cases of the coronavirus, an increase of 60,469 cases from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths has risen by 312 to 134,884.

The CDC reported its tally of cases caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4pm ET on July 12 compared with its previous report a day earlier.