The emergence of new variants of coronavirus should be a “wake-up call” for the country, Anthony Fauci
Anthony Fauci COVID-19 cases decrease, but variants indicate the dangers ahead. The first US cases of the South African virus variant reported in South Carolina Fauci warn that the situation of COVID-19 “could worsen”, given the new variants MORE he said on Friday.
During a briefing on the White House on coronavirus, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the various mutations have “clinical consequences” that will need to be addressed.
Recent studies by Johnson & Johnson and Novavax have shown some protection in their vaccines against variants, but the results are much weaker than strain B.1.351, which was first discovered in South Africa.
“This is a wake-up call for all of us,” Fauci said. “We will continue to see the evolution of mutants, so … we will have to be agile to be able to easily adapt to make versions of the vaccine that are actually specifically targeted to any mutation actually traveling at some point. “
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Rochelle WalenskyRochelle Walensky The Hill’s Morning Report – Dems trial trial; January becomes the deadliest month of the pandemic Memo: Biden faces risks as COVID’s optimism stops. Overnight care: Councilor Biden makes more pessimistic predictions about vaccine launch | CDC says coronavirus could kill up to 514K by Feb. 20 Vaccine research funds have been misused for decades, says COURSE OF MORE said the country is working to rapidly increase its genomic sequencing to better identify different variants.
However, she said the virus is so widespread that every new case should be treated as if it were a new variant.
“Until someone has symptoms, does a test, has a positive result and we get the sequence, our opportunity to do real case control and follow-up contacts has largely disappeared,” Walensky said. “And so I think, and I think we should treat every case as if it were a variant during this pandemic right now.”
According to Fauci, the goal remains the rapid vaccination of as many people as possible.
“Mutations occur because the virus has a playing field, so to speak, to move. If you stop this and stop replication, viruses can’t move,” Fauci said. “And that’s why we continue to do what we do, which is to step up our capacity and implementation to vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible.”