Dr. Anthony Fauci revealed that there have been ‘very serious discussions’ between the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about allowing people who have received the full course of COVID-19 vaccines to socialize.
Fauci, Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor, said “common sense” shows that the risk is “extremely low”.
Fauci spoke as the number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 has dropped to its lowest level since November 4, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
Thursday’s data showed that hospitalizations have declined again, as they have every day since 12 January 2021.
His words raised hopes that soon the days of forced quarantines, social distance and the use of masks in private spaces could be counted.
“I think what you’re going to start seeing very soon – we had some very serious discussions with our colleagues at the CDC – is: what happens when two people get vaccinated,” he told CNN’s Chris Cuomo late on Thursday. .
Fauci appeared on CNN on Thursday night and said socialization restrictions could be lifted
‘Before being vaccinated, if they wanted to come visit you, they would have to be quarantined for a while, get tested, wear a mask.
‘What we are saying now – even if it is not backed by data, is backed by common sense – if you have two people vaccinated and they want to meet, … the risk is not zero, the risk becomes extremely low. ‘
The United States has recorded 28,410,917 cases since the start of the pandemic and 508,114 deaths.
Fauci said that understanding the vaccine’s power to change common interactions with friends and family is likely to encourage people to get vaccinated.
He said that after his daughter has received the two jabs, like him, he will invite her ‘and give her a big hug’ – something he hasn’t done in a year.
‘Then we will start to see people talking: hey, the more people vaccinate, I can have dinner with my family member who comes in, I can go see my mother, if she is vaccinated.’
Asked by Cuomo whether he expected to see restaurants, airlines and employers asking for some kind of vaccination ‘passport’, Fauci replied: ‘I think you will see a gradual increase in this.’
He added: ‘There will be a personal, social and public health benefit.’
On Thursday, Joe Biden scheduled to administer the 50 millionth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since his inauguration.
“The more people get vaccinated, the faster we will beat this pandemic,” said Biden, noting that his government is on track to exceed its promise to deliver 100 million vaccines in its first 100 days in office.
Despite bad weather hampering vaccination programs in some areas, Biden said progress has been excellent.
“We are halfway there: 50 million shots in 37 days,” said Biden.
– This is weeks ahead of schedule.
In all, more than 45 million Americans have received at least one dose of the approved vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna since they received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in December, with more than 20 million receiving the two required doses.
Biden noted the promise of a third vaccine to be approved as early as this weekend, when the Johnson & Johnson single-dose candidate is analyzed by the FDA.
“We have a plan to implement it as soon as Johnson & Johnson can do it,” said Biden.
Across the country, there are currently 52,669 hospitalized, and on Thursday 3,138 deaths from COVID-19 were recorded.
That’s higher than Wednesday’s 2,447 death toll.
On Thursday, while Fauci was speaking, hospitalizations were at their lowest level since November 4
Fauci said that while vaccines certainly help to control the pandemic, they are not the only thing.
“I don’t think that is the only factor. I think it’s a combination of things, ‘he said, noting that the increase in December and January was caused by unsafe behaviors, like holiday travel, which have now decreased.
And he said people were right to be concerned about mutations, but the key to stopping the mutation was to stop the spread.
A new variant, developed in-house in the United States and known as B.1.427 / B.1.429, that appeared in California, has emerged as a variant of concern.
New studies have suggested that infection with the variant increases viral load about twice as much as strains of the virus that originally circulate, which spreads at least as easily as other recent variants and can be up to 11 times more deadly.
The variant was first identified in May 2020 and hardly existed until October.
In a recent study, which is expected to be posted on the medRxiv.org server later this week, the University of California at San Francisco analyzed 2,172 virus samples collected between September 2020 and January 2021 across California.
In January, the new variant accounted for more than 50% of all coronavirus samples analyzed genetically.
In a short time, it became the most common strain in the state. It could be responsible for 90 percent of infections in the state by the end of March, scientists told the Los Angeles Times.
Dr. Charles Chiu, professor of laboratory medicine and specialist in infectious diseases at UCSF, told the newspaper that the virus appeared to be more transmissible than previous strains between 19% and 24%.
The local California variant, called B.1.427 / B.1.429, currently represents 50% of all cases in the state and is estimated to constitute 90% of all cases by the end of March (above)
Separate teams of researchers have discovered yet another variant of the coronavirus – this one in New York City.
The new variant may be able to escape current vaccines. But vaccine companies are already on the case, said Dr. Max Gomez of CBS2 on Thursday.
The mutation was detected by Dr. David Ho’s team at Columbia University.
Ho said he alters the protein spike, which allows the virus to evade antibodies that can result in a weaker immune response.
“We don’t know if it is more transmissible, but we see its prevalence increasing in our patient population,” Ho told CBS2.
Fauci said: ‘The best way to prevent the emergence of other variants is to stop their spread.
‘Viruses do not mutate unless they are spreading.
Fauci said a vaccine would provide a level of antibodies that would be a ‘cushion’ – although it is not specifically adapted to the mutation.
“The higher the level of protection, there is a repercussion, if you like,” he said.
