January 2nd, Los Angeles Times website reported on December 31, 2020 that in a conversation broadcast online on the 31st, Anthony Fauci, the chief infectious disease expert of the United States government, discussed the pandemic with California Governor Gavin Newsom in California and Why is it so difficult to control all over the United States.
But Fauci also brings some hope for the future, telling his latest estimates of when the situation may generally return to normal and whether schools can safely resume classes.
Here are some of his thoughts on the situation in 2021:
Vaccines for the wider public will be distributed in late spring and early summer.
The first vaccines were distributed to priority groups, including health care workers and nursing home workers, at a slower rate than earlier promised.
But Fauci said it now looks like January will be gaining momentum and vaccinations will accelerate.
However, there are other priority groups that rank ahead of the public before they get the vaccine. The vaccine may not be universal until the end of March or the beginning of April.
By then, the key is to get as many people vaccinated in the spring and summer, with the goal of getting everyone done when the weather turns cool next fall.
If enough people are vaccinated–in early autumn, it is “althus close to normal”
Fauci said that if the United States works hard and diligently to vaccinate many people between April and July, “I think u2026u2026 will reach enough effective herd immunity by the beginning of autumn to truly return to roughly normal conditions – schools, theaters, sports events, restaurants.
I think if we handle it properly, we will achieve this goal in the early autumn.”
If the coronavirus is not contained, it will cause disaster to the economy.
Some people think that the commercial restrictions imposed to control the epidemic are too costly. But Fauci said that only when the pandemic is under control can the economy return to normal.
“We need to use public health measures to restore the economy,” Fauci said. Public health is the bridge to bringing the economy back to what it was used to be.”
This is the most politicized public health crisis in modern American history.
The most effective public health information is consistent and simple. But Fauci said the COVID-19 pandemic has been politically divided and it is difficult to form a consistent public health message.
It is even more difficult than raising awareness of HIV, and political leaders (presidents) failed to pay enough attention at the beginning of such public health crises. “It does make it difficult to implement public health measures and convey public health messages,” Fauci said.
