Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a TV interview on Thursday that it was ‘inevitable’ that a new COVID-19 strain appeared in Colorado and California – and predicted its spread in the US, although ‘it no longer looks virulent’ not.’
“We predicted it would be, if you had so much of it in the UK, which then spread to other countries in Europe and Canada, it was inevitable that it would be here,” Fauci told NBC News’ “Today.” said.
‘You will hear reports from other states and more cases in the state that have already been reported. “Unfortunately, this is just the reality of the spread of these viruses,” he continued.
“Our British colleagues have clearly shown that it is much more effective to spread from person to person,” Fauci said, adding that “the good news is that it no longer seems virulent, namely to make people more ill and what to more death leads. ”
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also noted that the mutation “apparently does not evade the protection afforded by the vaccines currently in use.”
He added: ‘But the fact that you have a virus that spreads more effectively is something that is important and should be taken seriously.
‘It emphasizes the need to continue to put our foot on the floor and the pedal, to make sure we take the public health measures we talk about all the time. “Wearing masks, the physical distance, the avoidant crowds in the area,” said Fauci.
As for the national vaccination plan, Fauci told host Craig Melvin that it was ‘disappointing’ to be given almost 3 million by the end of 2020 – not the 20 million doses previously projected.
“Hopefully, if you come in the first few weeks in January, the increase in momentum will get us to where we want to be,” he said.
‘But there really needs to be more effort to determine the resources of the residents, namely the states, the cities, the provinces and the places where the vaccine actually goes into individuals’ arms. You have to support the local groups, the states and the cities to help them do this task, which is a very wonderful task, ‘he added.
The country’s leading doctor for infectious diseases has also revealed that the change in approach to the administration of jab is ‘being considered’.
‘I still think, if you do it right, you can do a single dose, discuss doses for the second dose and still get the job done [done] but there are a lot of discussions about whether you want to spread the initial vaccination by having more people vaccinated in the first round, ”he said.
‘One of the problems with doing this is if you do not get the second dose on time, you will have a delay time. We know from the clinical trial that the best time is to give it on one day, and then for Moderna 28 days later, and for Pfizer 21 days later, “Fauci continued.
‘This is what the data tells us, the best way is to do it. So if you want to stick to the data, you have to do it. But you can make an argument, and some people are about to stretch the doses by giving a single dose across the board and hoping that you will get the second dose in time to give to individuals.
Fauci said on Wednesday he foresees that the U.S. will achieve enough collective COVID-19 immunity through vaccinations to get some ‘normalcy’ by the fall of 2021.
He made the remarks during an online discussion of the pandemic with the Government of California Gavin Newsom, who announced that the new tribe had been located in his state.
“With the start of January, the feeling is that we are going to gain momentum to catch up,” Fauci said, adding that he expects vaccinations to be available to the general public by April on demand.
Assuming that the vaccination campaign continues as in May, June and July, “By early autumn we will have enough good herd immunity to really return to a strong semblance of normality – schools, theaters, sporting events, restaurants, “Fauci said according to Reuters.