On Sunday, Anthony Fauci expressed skepticism over the notion that the Chinese coronavirus is on the decline, despite trends indicating that the worst of the pandemic has already passed, according to Politico.
The latest seven-day average for the United States shows less than 100,000 total cases, with less than 10,000 hospitalizations and fewer than 2,000 deaths. But although these trends, by all measures, seem to indicate that the country is moving in the “right direction” on the virus, Fauci expressed his hesitance to “declare victory” in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“If you look at the history of the surges and the diminutions in cases over a period of time,” Fauci claimed, “they can bounce back.”
Fauci also claimed that there may be a surge in the virus again with the major upcoming year-end holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. With this “very important part of the year,” Fauci said, “it’s a good time to reflect on why [getting vaccinated] is important,” in order to protect “yourself and your children, and your family and your community.”
When asked about the possibility of vaccine mandates for commercial air travel, Fauci said the idea is “always discussable,” although “right now, I don’t see that immediately. I don’t want to say support or not.” Fauci also confirmed that he does not think such a policy should have any input from the public, calling it “a decision that’s made by input from a number of parts of the government, including public health.”