Fauci: Mutant coronavirus strain must be taken ‘very seriously’

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Anthony FauciAnthony FauciTSA Screened 1.1 Million Travelers The Day After Christmas Saudi Arabia To Allow Outbound International Flights For Foreigners The Deadliest Month Of The December COVID-19 Pandemic MORE, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said on Sunday that people should take the more contagious form of the coronavirus that has surfaced in South East England ‘very seriously’.

Fauci, who plainly discourages excluding flights from the UK, said in an appearance in CNN’s State of the Union that US officials were right to demand proof of negative coronavirus tests for anyone entering the country from Great Britain.

Public health officials are “now very intensively examining the new species,” including questions like, “Does it make someone sicker? Is it a more serious virus in the sense of virulence? And the answer is, it doesn’t seem to be.”

Fauci added that while their UK counterparts have expressed confidence that existing vaccines will be equally effective against the new strain, “we will be doing the studies ourselves,” the AP said.

“We get isolates from it, make a combination of viruses, to test right away, get sera from people we’ve vaccinated, and see if it still neutralizes this new strain, this mutated strain that comes from the UK, like from South Africa, ”he added. “There is a similar but not quite the same type of mutation that we see in South Africa.”

Fauci declined to answer whether it was a mistake not to demand negative tests from British travelers beforehand, told CNN Dana BashDana Bash Incoming Democratic House members bypass questions about Pelosi voting as speaker Lawmakers are urging Trump to sign stimulus financing package as government shutdown looms.“Obviously, I think the move to impose some form of travel restriction – and restriction could completely block travel, for which the decision was made not to.”

“But I think it is sensible and a good idea to do some form of testing, and not let anyone from the UK on the plane unless they have a documented negative COVID-19 test,” he added to it.

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