Fauci says people should decide 'individual risk' for COVID, reverting back to masks possible

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Dr. Anthony Fauci advised that individuals will need to decide for themselves their personal level of risk for events and COVID-19 exposure going forward as people learn to live with the virus. 

“What’s going to happen is that we’re going to see that each individual is going to have to make their calculation of the amount of risk that they want to take in going to indoor dinner is going to functions even within the realm of a green zone,” Fauci said during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “It’s going to be a person’s decision about the individual risk they’re going to take.”

“We’re at that point where in many respects … we’re going to have to live with some degree of virus in the community,” he added. 

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Chief Medical Advisor to the president Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC on December 1, 2021. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP)  (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)


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A worker in protective gear holds up a sign which reads "Do not crowd" as he directs a resident near a line for the first round of mass COVID testing in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, China, Friday, April 1, 2022. As residents of western Shanghai start a four day lockdown for mass testing, some in eastern Shanghai about to end their lock down are being told they will be confined to their homes for at least 10 more days. It was the latest wrinkle in the lockdown of China’s largest city as it struggles to eliminate an omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak under China’s zero-COVID policy. (AP Photo/Chen Si) (AP Photo/Chen Si)


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Dr. Manjul Shukla transfers Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, at a mobile vaccination clinic in Worcester, Mass. As the U.S. recorded its first confirmed case of the omicron variant, doctors across the country are experiencing a more imminent crisis with a delta variant that is sending record numbers of people to the hospital in New England and the Midwest. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)


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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki talks to reporters during the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 06, 2022 in Washington, DC. Psaki fielded questions about the failure of a COVID-19 funding bill to pass out of the U.S. Senate. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The CDC has labeled most of the country as a “green zone,” which indicates a “low” level of concern regarding infection: The CDC recommends staying up-to-date with vaccines and getting tested if an individual has symptoms. 

Precautions such as wearing masks or additional precautions for high-risk individuals do not kick in until a zone is designated “red” or “high” risk, but Fauci downplayed concerns of significant upticks in infections and the possibility of moving towards that “red zone.” 

“It was said that if we do start seeing an uptick, particularly of hospitalizations, we may need to revert back to being more careful and having more utilizations of masks indoors,” Fauci said. “But right now, we’re watching it very, very carefully and there is concern that it’s going up, but hopefully we’re not going to see increased severity.” 

Fauci praised the level of vaccination and precaution among Americans, but he cautioned that people need to remain aware of the waning immunity that occurs over time. 

The CDC has already suggested a fourth dose of approved COVID-19 vaccines for severely immunocompromised individuals, and Fauci urged eligible individuals to consider.

More importantly, he urged Congress to provide the necessary funding for new tests, drugs and further vaccines to maintain protection and prepare for a possible further surge of infections. 

“Right now, if we don’t get that support … we’re not going to be ready for it,” Fauci claimed.

 

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