Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert and the chief medical adviser to the White House, warned Americans on Sunday that there could be a possibility of COVID-19 restrictions returning in the United States due to a potential new outbreak.
The medical professional made the remarks during an interview and argued that US residents should be prepared for the possibility of COVID-19-related restrictions coming back. The presenter, Sophie Raworth, asked the expert if a new infectious coronavirus variant could lead to potential lockdowns and mask mandates.
Return of Restrictions?
Fauci said that he was not a fan of using the term "lockdowns" because it has a "charged element" to it. However, he said Americans should keep an eye on the pattern of what was happening in the country regarding infections. But he also noted that the country was slowly moving forward into normalcy.
The medical expert also noted that a new variant could be coming along in the future and warned that if such a strain caused an increase in the number of cases of hospitalization, authorities could decide to implement restrictions once again. However, he noted that these mandates would most likely be temporary and include wearing masks, as per Fox News.
Fauci's warnings come as the international community is beginning to see an uptick in coronavirus infections due to the new BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron strain. The latest ONS infection survey in England, which is considered the gold standard in assessing the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community, estimated that there were roughly one in 16 people infected.
In Mar., UK hospital admissions also saw a surge, going up to 2,227, which is still roughly half of that seen at the peak of the second of the pandemic in January last year, which was 4,580. Fauci added that the recent surge did not appear to include any increase in severity in the form of increased hospitalizations.
According to Yahoo News, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lifted all of England's coronavirus-related restrictions last month as the Westminster government has now started to use a "living with COVID" approach. Next week, more than 600,000 people will be invited to get booster shots.
BA.2 Subvariant
When asked what the next winter would look like, Fauci said the situation was completely unpredictable. He noted that the coronavirus had fooled authorities so often, arguing that no one was certain about what would happen next.
The situation comes as the BA.2 subvariant has become the dominant version of the coronavirus in the United States, based on data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The subvariant now accounts for roughly 55% of all coronavirus infection samples that have undergone genetic sequencing.
The BA.2 subvariant is believed to be 75% faster in transmission compared to the original Omicron variant. The new strain is also driving the newest outbreak in China, which has become the worst surge in the country since 2020, CNBC reported.
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