Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Wednesday that as the colder weather and holidays arrive, the United States is “going into a precarious situation where much of what we’re going to be doing is going to be indoors as opposed to outdoors.” As a result, COVID-19 cases may continue to rise due to increase exposure risk, Fauci said, calling it “all a bad recipe for a tough time ahead.” Dr. Fauci also recommended skipping large social gatherings this holiday season, such as Thanksgiving dinners. “You don’t want to be the Grinch that stole the holidays,” Fauci said, but noted, “You want to take a couple of steps back and say, ‘Is it worth it this year to bring those people together when you don’t know what the status of everybody in that pod that you’ve created is?”
The nation’s top infectious disease doctor made the statements during a Journal of the American Medical Association live Q&A, during which he also again urged Americans to wear a mask for their own safety and that of others. “We can’t have this very inconsistent wearing that you see some states that absolutely refuse to wear a mask…It almost becomes a political statement. We’ve got to get away from that,” said Fauci, noting that mask-wearing is working for other nations. He also pushed back against those who insist allowing the population to become infected to supposedly achieve herd immunity is the best way to combat COVID-19. “If you let everyone get infected, the data tells us that we’re not able to protect [vulnerable people] in the community,” Fauci explained, adding, “[Y]ou know how many deaths you’re going to have before you get there? That’s an unacceptable pathway.”
Concerning a COVID-19 vaccine, Fauci said it’s possible the FDA might not grant an emergency use authorization for any vaccine until January or later, but he expects pharmaceutical companies working on a vaccine will have enough data by December to decide whether to apply.