Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that there is still a “very high risk” of becoming infected with a new variant of COVID-19, even if you have been previously infected, as he urged all Americans to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Fauci, who has been named Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, told a White House news briefing that vaccination is more important than ever, given the emergence of new strains, especially from South Africa. , England and Brazil.
On Friday, the first major analysis of the South African strain found that the previous infection did not prevent reinfection with the new variant.
Fauci explained that the worrying news means that more people need to be vaccinated to reduce the number of people in whom the virus can replicate.
Dr. Anthony Fauci told Wolf Blitzer on Monday that all Americans must be vaccinated soon
President Joe Biden is seen on tour on vaccination site Walter Reed COVID on Friday
“You need to get vaccinated when it becomes available as quickly and as quickly as possible across the country,” he said.
“And the reason is that viruses can’t move if they don’t reproduce.
“And if you stop replicating them by vaccinating on a large scale and not giving the virus an open playing field to continue to respond to the pressure you’ve put on you, you won’t get mutations.”
As of Sunday, 471 cases of variants first identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil had been located in the United States, 467 of which were found in the United Kingdom.
Fauci later told CNN that there is a “very high rate” of being re-infected with the new variants if they become dominant.
“If it becomes dominant, the experience of our colleagues in South Africa indicates that even if you have been infected with the original virus, there is a very high rate of reinfection to the point where the previous infection does not seem to protect you against reinfection,” he said. said.
Experts warn that it is a race against the clock to vaccinate people. Pictured is a team preparing vaccine syringes at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts on Friday
Variants may make the vaccine less effective, Fauci said, but that doesn’t mean the vaccinations were a waste of time.
“Even if there is diminished protection against variants, there is enough protection to prevent you from suffering from serious illnesses, including hospitalization and death,” Fauci said. “So vaccination is essential.”
January was the deadliest month of the entire pandemic in the United States, with more than 95,300 deaths – an average of more than 3,070 deaths a day.
However, the US now seems to be on a slightly more positive trajectory.
Compared to last week, the number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 is declining by 10% or more in 38 states, according to The COVID Tracking Project.
1,562 deaths were reported on Monday.
A new CDC order requiring people to wear masks while riding any type of public transportation came into effect shortly before midnight on Monday.
People can take off their masks briefly to eat, drink or take medication; verify their identity with law enforcement or transport officials; communicate with people with hearing impairments; put an oxygen mask on a plane; or during a medical emergency, the CDC said.
Children under two or people with disabilities who cannot wear a mask are exempt.
An estimated 26 million people received at least one dose of their two-dose vaccines, according to the CDC, and about six million were fully vaccinated with both doses.
The United States lags behind other countries in vaccinating people – especially Israel, the UAE and the United Kingdom.
Israel vaccinates 1.87 people per 100,000, according to our data from around the world.
The UAE is in second place with 1.26, and the United Kingdom tied with Serbia in third place with 0.58.
The United States ranks fifth, with 0.4 people per 100,000.