Dr Fauci in the @WhiteHouse briefing room 
Fauci: If you look at the 7-day avg of cases, right now it looks like it may be plateauing.
But you have to be careful it’s not an artifact of slowing down after the holidays.
“I’m sort of getting deja vu standing up here. I said something like this almost a year ago.”
But you have to be careful it’s not an artifact of slowing down after the holidays.
“I’m sort of getting deja vu standing up here. I said something like this almost a year ago.”
Fauci: There are always lags so please be aware of that - cases, weeks later hospitalizations, weeks later deaths.
Cases may be plateauing or coming down at the same time hospitalizations and deaths are going up.
Cases may be plateauing or coming down at the same time hospitalizations and deaths are going up.
Fauci on mutants: RNA viruses like coronaviruses mutate all the time. Most of the mutations don’t have any physiological relevant wrt the function of the virus itself.
Once in awhile you get mutations which do have an impact. What have we learned thus far?
Once in awhile you get mutations which do have an impact. What have we learned thus far?
Fauci: At least from experience UK has had, twice as much transmissibility as wild-type original virus.
They say on a 1-1 basis it doesn’t have a greater chance of making you seriously ill or killing you.
We shouldn’t be lulled into complacency about that.
They say on a 1-1 basis it doesn’t have a greater chance of making you seriously ill or killing you.
We shouldn’t be lulled into complacency about that.
Fauci: We’re seeing in the much more concerning mutations in South Africa and Brazil that it’s having an effect on monoclonal antibodies.
What is the impact on the vaccine?
What is the impact on the vaccine?
Fauci: So far literally pre-prints - not peer-reviewed - saying what we likely will be seeing is a diminution, more from South Africa than UK variant, in what would be effect you in vaccine-induced antibodies.
Fauci: That does not mean that the vaccines will not be effective. There’s a thing called a cushion effect. Moderna and Pfizer vaccine that can suppress virus at dilution of 1:1000 and the mutant influences it by bringing it down to 1:800 you’re still well above the line.
Fauci: Thus far it does not appear the South African strain is in the US. But level of sequencing surveillance thus far is not at the level we would have liked. Given the information we have today it doesn’t appear the South African strain is here.
Fauci on difference btw administrations: There were things that were said, ie hydroxychloroquine, that were not based on fact. It was really something you didn’t feel you could actually say something and there wouldn’t be repercussions. (Cont)
Fauci: The idea that you can get up here and let the science speak, it is somewhat of a liberating feeling.
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