Dr. Anthony Fauci underestimated the dangers of coronavirus variants, even as health officials prepared for the possibility that the variants would become the dominant strain in the United States.
Several new strains of the coronavirus have appeared in recent months, of which the South African variant is the most striking.
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The British variant, B.1.1.7, showed greater transmissibility, but the South African variant showed a reduction in the efficacy of current vaccines.
“Fortunately, it’s not dominant in this country at all,” Fauci told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace. “The fact is, however, that it does not protect, and that the vaccines do not protect so well against the acquisition of clinically apparent diseases in the South African.”
Fauci advised that some models would dominate the UK variant by the end of March, but the current vaccines are still just as effective against the specific variant.
“If it does indeed become more prevalent, we may need to get a version of the vaccine targeted at the South African isolate,” Fauci added. “And actually, we are already doing preliminary and early experiments to develop such a variant of the vaccine to address that particular mutation.”
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The new variant presents a potential challenge as the debate over the reopening of schools continues. The CDC still says that teachers should be a priority for receiving vaccines, but that teachers do not need to be vaccinated to return to personal education.
“We are doing what we can to protect the safety of students and teachers, but that is not a requirement,” Fauci said.
One of the main targets is to vaccinate high school students, with vaccinations approved for Americans 16 years and older. Nearly half of the high school student population may be just as vulnerable to infections as adults.
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Fauci advised that the plan is for high school students to receive the vaccine later this year so they can start personal education again.
“It’s likely to happen in the fall,” Fauci said.