Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical adviser, on Sunday issued a dire warning as the country experiences spikes in COVID-19 cases amid the spread of the Delta variant, especially amongst the unvaccinated.
During an interview on ABC News, Fauci was asked whether he foresees more lockdowns or if he sees current surges in COVID-19 case as a temporary setback.
Fauci replied that he doubts more lockdowns are in the cards.
“I think we have enough of the percentage of people in the country, not enough to crush the outbreak, but I believe enough to not allow us to get into the situation we were in last winter,” Fauci said.
Fauci, however, said that “things are going to get worse,” citing the rate of unvaccinated people in the country,
“If you look at the acceleration of the number of cases, the seven-day average has gone up substantially,” Fauci said. “We have 100 million people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who are not getting vaccinated.”
Fauci stressed that there is an outbreak among the unvaccinated, and that breakthrough infections among the vaccinated are expected because “no vaccine is 100 percent effective.”
“But in the breakthrough infections, they are mostly mild or without symptoms, whereas the unvaccinated who have a much, much, much greater chance of getting infected in the first place, are the ones that are vulnerable to getting severe illness that might lead to hospitalization and in some cases death,” Fauci said.
Although he doubts more lockdowns, Fauci argued that the country is “looking to some pain and suffering in the future” as COVID-19 cases rise, and that cases will only tamp down if vaccination rates increase.
Asked whether the “pain and suffering” he referred to is the case amongst those who are not vaccinated, Fauci said “there is no doubt about that.”
Fauci emphasized that vaccines protect people from developing serious illness that require hospitalizations or lead to death.
“However, when you have unvaccinated people getting infected, you’re propagating the dynamics of the outbreak, which ultimately impacts everybody, from the standpoint of having to wear masks, from the standpoint of the safety of the kids in school, from the standpoint of being able to open up everything the way we were when we were normal,” Fauci said.
Last week, the White House moved to require vaccinations for all federal employees and contractors, as well as mask mandates for all visitors to the campus regardless of vaccination status as the Delta variant spreads nationwide.
Biden’s announcement followed the Department of Veterans Affairs’ requirement for all frontline health care workers to be vaccinated within the next two months.
The White House also instructed all staff, including reporters, to wear masks in all indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status.
The White House’s requirements came after the CDC issued updated guidance last week that directed fully vaccinated people to wear masks indoors in areas of “substantial” and “high” spread of COVID-19.
Right-wingers who previously pushed vaccination skepticism have notably switched gears recently by touting the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines as hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 continue to rise. Recent polling has shown that Republicans, especially men, are significantly more resistant to getting vaccinated against the infectious disease that has killed more than 600,000 Americans thus far.
Watch Fauci’s remarks below:
NEW: White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci tells @jonkarl, "things are going to get worse," as COVID-19 cases surge with delta variant.
"The solution to this is get vaccinated and this would not be happening." https://t.co/Vs9wGhlqCj pic.twitter.com/TIWImK2k0u
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 1, 2021
This will not benefit Republicans. Those who resist the Trumpist version of the GOP will find that they did the right thing.
I know that people jump on Joe Biden for trying to unite, including entreaties to the Republicans among us, but that is the only thing that can stop this spike…an outstretched hand.
Americans who have worked in challenging environs know this
The most vehement sayer of “NO!!” is that way until he sees the light…and we would do well to emphasize those instances in which this occurs
We aren’t going to get lockdowns because the places that really need to lock down will refuse to do so, even as the virus ravages their population. Places like FL are removing the ability for locales to enforce mask wearing…I think DeSantis intends to force schools and businesses to accept anyone not wearing a mask, which is the opposite of conservative logic when it comes to baking a cake for a LGBT couple.
Schools start up soon, and under 12 children still can’t be vaccinated, which means elementary schools are going to have all kinds of outbreaks and shutdowns. We’re seeing spikes in many red states, and while some of the blue states are seeing issues they are also taking action while the red states are giving their people the freedom to die from COVID, despite a vaccine that is saving lives. None of this is necessary…if they just shut up and took the vaccine then COVID would ramp down and they could have their damn freedom instead of forcing all of us back into masks and being cautions.
It’s really, really frustrating…we were starting to feel like things were moving back to normal, so that by September we’d largely be done with precautions, perhaps aside from wearing a mask here or there. Instead, it looks like the unvaccinated are going to have another big wave of infections, possibly the worst one yet, and they will drag the rest of us down with them. Republican politicians are panicking because they see their voters getting sick this time, and their agitating not to be vaccinated is a poor look as deaths ramp up again. It’s just a mess, and the rest of the year is going to be a mess, followed by a campaign that is going to be an epic shitshow…it’s hard not to be depressed looking at that bleak future.
(1) Lots of ordinary people touting no vaccinations are vaccinated
(2) Lots of pols doing the same thing are vaccinated
(3) The problem is Trumpism** and we have not figured a way forward for masses of people
(4) This country has faced greater problems and I am offended by the notion that we can’t solve this one
** "Trump would not want me to be vaccinated"
But freedumb, it’s all about freedumb to kill yourself, your family, your neighbors, people you’ve never met, etc.
SMH.
I have read so many articles about the unvaccinated who are now in the hospital, getting ready to be incubated, saying they wish they had listened, they wish they had taken the step to be vaccinated. No better example of the fact that choices have consequences. They made their choices and they can live, or die with them.