A new virus variant, “even more problematic” than Delta? Not excluded, warns US health expert Fauci. He calls for more vaccinations. A colleague also chooses clear words: “We should never have come this far”.
The US health expert Anthony Fauci warns of the development of a new, even more dangerous variant of the coronavirus if the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant is not contained. Fauci told NBC on Sunday: “If you allow the virus to circulate freely and do not try to stop it, then sooner or later there is a chance that you will get another variant (…) that still could be more problematic than Delta. “
If the virus can spread and change further, there is a risk that in the end a variant will develop that the current vaccines – unlike Delta – would not protect against. The pandemic must be brought under control, warned the prominent immunologist and presidential advisor. The best way to do this is to have vaccinations. Vaccination requirements at the local level would be helpful.
“We should never have come this far”
In view of a new high in new infections with the coronavirus in the USA, the director of the US research agency National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins, has also found clear words and warned of a “failure” of his country. “We should never have come that far,” he said on ABC on Sunday.
“If we had been more successful in getting everyone to vaccinate, we wouldn’t be in this situation,” said Collins. “Now we are paying a terrible price”. He warned that the virus could spread further if the millions of children who are currently unvaccinated and will soon be returning from summer vacation are not required to wear masks to school.
The health authority CDC also recommended on Sunday, with reference to the risk of infection even from asymptomatic children, that all children from the age of two should wear masks in public indoor spaces – and thus expressly also in schools. Education Minister Miguel Cardona joined this council on the CBS broadcaster.
Delta variant causes US case numbers to rise sharply
Due to the spread of the delta variant, the number of new corona infections in the USA has risen sharply again – to around 100,000 cases on a seven-day average. The situation is particularly tense in countries with a low vaccination rate. In the second half of June, the seven-day average was around 11,000 new cases per day. The United States last reported an average of 100,000 new infections every day in February.
According to the US health authority CDC, well over half of the entire population is now fully vaccinated. Almost 59 percent of all citizens have received at least one vaccine dose. After a rapid pace, the vaccination campaign is now making slow progress in view of the widespread skepticism among the population. US President Joe Biden and high-ranking government officials are increasingly desperate for the population to get vaccinated.
