Dr. Anthony Fauci has said that nationwide face mask mandates will not return this winter, even as there is a significant increase in Covid cases.
Despite being mocked for his downbeat comments in the past, the former White House chief medical adviser said he would be “extremely surprised” if blanket restrictions returned at the federal level.
But he couldn’t promise that masks won’t be “recommended” again at the state or local level — after schools, colleges and businesses across America started asking staff and students to wear them again.
The 82-year-old Fauci also said the risk that a deadly Covid wave, rivaling previous peaks of the pandemic, will reoccur is “probably low” because so many Americans have immunity from vaccination or previous infections.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said he would be “extremely surprised” if the US reinstates nationwide mask mandates in crowded areas. But he did say these could be recommended
Government data shows that Covid cases are now increasing again (shown by the orange line, which shows the percentage of tests that are positive for the virus)
He also said older Americans and people with underlying conditions should get the updated booster vaccine before winter to replenish their immunity. About healthy Americans, he said they should have “the choice,” but he didn’t say they would need it.
Asked if mask mandates would return ABC ‘This Week’Dr. Fauci said, “No, I don’t see that in the future at all.
‘I would imagine that if we see a significant increase in cases, you may see the recommendation to use masks in certain circumstances and in crowded environments.
“But I don’t see any, and certainly no federal mandates. I would be very surprised if we did see that.”
He added: “There may be local organizations that require masks, but I think what we’ll see primarily is that as cases increase, there may be recommendations, not mandates – there’s a big difference there.”
When asked if the US was dealing with a deadly Covid wave, he said: ‘I don’t think at all, although you always have to keep an open mind with this virus, that it has fooled us before.
“But given the level of immunity that we all have… in other words, people who have been vaccinated, given a boost, people who have been infected like you and me… there’s a good chance that this will be an overwhelming surge of cases and hospitalizations. probably low.
“So I don’t think any of us in public health are predicting that this is going to be a tsunami of hospitalizations and deaths like we saw a year or more ago.”
All indicators show that Covid cases in the US are now increasing as the country approaches the fall months.
Hospital admissions rose by 16 per cent in the week to August 26, when 17,400 admissions were recorded – up from 15,000 in the previous seven-day period.
Deaths also rose by six per cent to 672 in the week to August 12, up from 631 previously.
There are also concerns about new Covid variants, including the more transmissible EG.5 strain, which is currently dominant in the US, and the highly mutated ‘Pirola’ strain.
Initial tests show that the Covid vaccines due to be rolled out this winter – made by Pfizer and Moderna – should also help protect against serious illness caused by these variants.
Dr. Fauci also recommended Sunday that older adults and people with underlying conditions — who have weaker immune systems — should get the updated boosters.
The above shows how adoption languished after last year’s booster rollout, with less than 17 percent of eligible adults signing up
He said: ‘My own personal feeling is that I certainly believe that those who are vulnerable, the elderly, those with underlying conditions…
‘But I think we should give people who do not belong to the risk groups the choice to have the vaccine available to them.
‘(This is) because, again, we have experience with this type of vaccine in billions of people, it is a safe vaccine, of course, with the mRNA there is a very, very low risk, especially in young men, of developing myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) , but the risk of Covid itself is greater than the risk of the vaccine.’
Masks have returned to some businesses, universities and schools in recent days – and President Biden, 80, was even pictured wearing a mask after his wife Jill tested positive for Covid last week.
President Biden is taking off his face mask today during a Medal of Honor ceremony — an act that seemed to illustrate America’s fatigue with masks
Fauci’s comments come after a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine committee told this website exclusively that healthy adults under 75 did not need to get the booster.
Dr. Paul Offit, who is advising the FDA on a range of shots for infectious diseases, told DailyMail.com that middle-aged and younger Americans who do not have chronic diseases already had strong enough immunity from previous Covid vaccines and infections to avoid severe illness this winter prevent .
His recommendation comes as the FDA prepares to approve new updated Covid boosters, made by Pfizer and Moderna, designed to target new variants.
The Biden administration is expected to sign off on a new nationwide rollout and encourage every American to accept it, despite other countries such as Britain saying the vaccines are only needed for adults over 65.
Dr. Offit told DailyMail.com: ‘I think we are best served by targeting these booster doses to those most at risk of severe illness (i.e. hospitalisation).
‘In particular, those over the age of 75, those who have health conditions that put them at greatest risk for serious illness (such as obesity, chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease and diabetes, among others) (and) those who are immune compromised and those who are pregnant .’