Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that public health measures are aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 are as important as ever with the detection of two cases of a new variant of the virus in California and Colorado.
During an interview on “Today”, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said it was inevitable that the new variant, whose spread was announced in the United Kingdom in early December, would appear in the United States.
British scientists and officials said the new variant seems to spread more easily and efficiently, what Fauci said “needs to be taken seriously”.
“The good news is that it doesn’t seem to be more virulent, that is, making people sicker and leading to more deaths,” said Fauci on Thursday. “So this is a good thing. Obviously, we don’t want to see a virus with a greater spreading capacity. The other thing that is important and favorable is that it does not seem to escape the protection afforded by the vaccines that are currently being used. “
The scientist said he expects more cases of the variant to be detected and reported in Colorado, California, and elsewhere in the country.
“This just reinforces the need to keep putting our feet on the ground and on the pedal to ensure that we comply with the public health measures we talk about all the time,” said Fauci. “The use of masks, physical distance, avoiding crowds and congregation environments. This is the kind of thing that will prevent this new strain from spreading further. “
During his interview, the leading public health specialist also addressed the implementation of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, which fell far short of the 20 million dose target by the end of 2020.
Not reaching the projected 20 million doses is “disappointing,” said Fauci.
“Hopefully, when you enter the first weeks of January, the momentum gain will take us to the point where we want to be, but there really has to be a lot more effort towards resources for the locals, that is, the states, the cities, the counties – the places where the vaccine is actually going into people’s arms, ”said Fauci. “It is necessary to support local groups – states and cities – to help them accomplish this task, which is a very prodigious task.”
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