Dr. Fauci Just Said When Surge May End
Coronavirus cases are at all-time record highs and even though experts say hospitalizations are the true metric of how bad things are—well, hospitalizations are rising, too, if only because so many people are catching COVID. How can you stay safe? And when might this Omicron surge end? Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the President and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke with NBC New York's David Ushery. Read on for 5 life-saving pieces of advice—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.
Dr. Fauci Warned That Cases are "Surging Upward" and Here's When They Might Go Down
"It's still surging upward. We had about 745,000 cases yesterday. I would not be surprised at all if we go over a million cases per day," Fauci told News 4 in an interview. "I would hope — I can't predict accurately, because no one can — but I would hope that by the time we get to the fourth week in January—end of the third week, beginning of the fourth week—that we will start see this coming down," Fauci said.
Dr. Fauci Said Here's How to Keep Schools Open
"The most part, the general principle will be to try to keep the children in school because we know of the deleterious effects of keeping them out with virtual learning," said Dr. Fauci. "However, the best way to keep them safe is to surround them with people who are vaccinated, teachers and personnel in the school, wear masks. And to the extent you possibly can, and I know not every school can do this, is to try and get the ventilation system going so that you don't have the situation where everyone is stuffed in with no good airflow." Since not every school system has this, "you've really gotta make a judgment call. That's based on where you are, your location, the surge of infections."
Dr. Fauci Said Here's How Long to Quarantine After a COVID Infection
"There's been some confusion and some questions about the credibility of the CDC," said Ushery, who noted that their advice is to quarantine for 5 days and then get back to work if you're essential—a negative test being suggested but not required. "Most of the transmission occur within the first five days and it dramatically goes down," said Dr. Fauci, explaining the CDC's decision. "Doesn't go down to zero. It dramatically goes down. So they're saying when you get to five days, if you have been infected, you can then go back into society, wear a mask. If a test is available to you, get a test. If it's negative, you still need to wear the mask. That's important. If it's positive, you stay in isolation for five days."
Dr. Fauci Said This About a Possible Fourth Booster
"I think it's very prudent to prepare for the possibility that we might need a fourth shot. But I think the judgment as to whether, or we will need it will depend on data that we gather from those who've gotten the third boost."
How to Stay Safe Out There
Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated or boosted ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don't travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you're not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don't visit any of these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.
