Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams warned Americans against participating in large holiday gatherings Monday even as First Lady Melania Trump is planning one at the White House on.
Adams appeared on “Good Morning Americ”a to speak on America’s holiday plans and give an update on the coronavirus vaccine. He said all Americans, including the White House, should be following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and holding small celebrations, according to Forbes. CDC guidelines do not name a limit on the number of attendees at a gathering, but recommend that attendees wear masks and stand six feet apart from anyone who isn’t a member of their household.
The first lady and President Donald Trump plan to host holiday events that will likely conflict with the guidelines, which the White House has routinely ignored. Even Trump’s political allies like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have avoided visiting the White House because of its more lax COVID-19 measures.
Asked about the White House’s plans, Adams said the CDC guidelines apply to “everyone” and he emphasized the U.S. is at a “dire point” in the pandemic.
Adams also addressed fears over the newly-announced coronavirus vaccine, which medical experts have assured is safe and effective but some Democrats have cast doubt on. President-Elect Joe Biden has argued that he trusts vaccines but he doesn’t trust President Donald Trump.
Adams also that it is extremely important that a large majority of Americans take the vaccine for it to be most effective in stopping community spread. (RELATED: Here’s Where Sweden Stands After Refusing To Require Strict Coronavirus Lockdowns)
.@ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE interview with @Surgeon_General Dr. Jerome Adams as he discusses the latest COVID-19 vaccine information.@CeciliaVega https://t.co/rkvg3CoHuE pic.twitter.com/N5SOWJwBFm
— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 23, 2020
Experts have estimated that the U.S. could reach heard immunity by May 2021 if 70 percent of Americans take the vaccine.
“So normally with the level of efficacy that we have — 95% — 70% or so of the population being immunized would allow for true herd immunity to take place,” Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the chief scientific adviser for President Donald Trump’s immunization program Operation Warp Speed, told Jake Tapper on CNN. “That is likely to happen somewhere in the month of May or something like that based on our plans.”