CORONAVIRUS
How is the US expected to control coronavirus by Spring of 2022 according to Dr. Fauci?
On CNN, Dr. Anthony Fauci outlined his hope that through increased vaccination, the country could return so some “degree of normalcy,” by spring 2022.
When public health experts believe they have a handle on the covid-19 pandemic, a new challenge arises.
Earlier this year, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), stated that the country would return to some semblance of normalcy by this summer.
However, with the rapid rise in cases attributed to the Delta variant, our “return to normal” has been postponed once again.
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Fauci details a new timeline to have the virus under control
This week Dr. Fauci has been on a bit of a media tour discussing the surge in covid cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, as well as the FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine.
In a recent interview with CNN, Fauci was asked what level of vaccination within the population would be needed to reach herd immunity.
Currently, around 52 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, and early estimates had put the level required between 60 to 90 percent.
Fauci told Anderson Cooper that if the more than 90 million people currently eligible signed up to get their shots, he hoped “to get some good control [over the virus] in the spring of 2022.”
These comments came after Fauci had told NPR where Fauci had said that situation would improve by the fall of 2022. The 2022 Mid-Term will prove a test for the Biden administration, and Fauci’s earlier timeline would cause real problems. During the CNN interview, Fauci apologized for misspeaking and then explained what he meant by “control over the virus.”
What does control really mean?
Control for Dr. Fauci means that the United States would have “an overwhelming majority of the population vaccinated.” He continued by adding that those who have overcome their infection will have some degree of protection, which, combined with vaccination, could allow the country to return “to a degree of normality." This includes dining out and reopening theaters.
Returning to some level of normalcy, as Dr. Fauci mentioned, will depend on increased levels of vaccination. For that reason, many officials at both the federal and state level and business leaders are trying to achieve through vaccine mandates. However, only time can truly tell if those efforts will keep the country on track to see improvements by the spring.