The top infectious disease expert in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said that he believes the government would not implement statewide lockdowns despite the surge of coronavirus infections due to the Delta variant.
Fauci said that while the American government is unlikely to implement a new lockdown, the situation in the country is going to "get worse" as the Delta variant continues to surge. The new strain has become the most dominant among new cases in the country, which primarily involves residents who have not yet been vaccinated.
No Lockdowns Amid Delta Surge
During an interview, the infectious disease expert said that a significant percentage of Americans are now fully vaccinated to avoid mandatory lockdowns. However, Fauci said the number of inoculated individuals was still not enough to prevent an outbreak but sufficient to prevent a similar situation to last winter.
Across the United States, data showed that in the last 10 days, the number of new COVID-19 cases has nearly doubled. Even if government officials opt not to issue lockdowns, the economy could experience another downward spiral, MSN reported.
Worldwide, nations are struggling to respond to the spread of the Delta variant, which has been found to be more transmissible than the original strain. Some Asian countries, including the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, have begun issuing lockdowns in an attempt to curb the initial spread of the Delta variant.
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However, many residents are pushing back against the restrictions as the economy continues to worsen in the regions. In Australia, army personnel will begin helping police on Monday to patrol Sydney, the country's largest city, to see if people who have tested positive are properly isolated from others.
The French government is struggling to fight back against the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections as thousands of residents protested for the weekend in a row against a mandatory health pass requirement. The process mandates that residents must show proof of vaccination to gain entry to many public venues, CNBC reported.
Vaccination Across the US
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the wearing of face masks indoors amid the surge of the Delta variant even among residents who are vaccinated. On Sunday, Fauci warned that some breakthrough infections, where inoculated individuals are infected by the coronavirus, are to be expected because the vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing the disease.
But in the cases of vaccinated individuals, Fauci noted that infected residents mostly experienced only mild or non-existent symptoms, in contrast to unvaccinated individuals who developed severe symptoms and in some cases, hospitalization and death.
Fauci said that "common sense" is the cause for the surge of vaccination rates, including in areas where the inoculation rate was low. The infectious disease expert said that residents who live in hard-hit areas realize the gravity of the pandemic in their regions compared to areas where the vaccination rate is high.
The medical expert said that he was glad to see that some people who were skeptical of the vaccine in the beginning are now starting to get their injections to fight the pandemic, Politico reported.
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