White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday Americans should “stay away from” New Year’s Eve gatherings, as he predicted a further increase in the number of Omicron variant infections.
Fauci made an appearance on Monday’s episode of CNN’s “New Day,” where he warned that large social gatherings were dangerous, because of the impossibility of ascertaining everyone’s vaccination status.
“When you are talking about a New Year’s Eve party, where you have 30, 40, 50 people celebrating, you do not know the status of their vaccination — I would recommend strongly, stay away from that this year,” Fauci said. “There will be other years to do that, but not this year.”
As per the guidance posted on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website, vaccinated individuals infected with COVID-19 can still transmit the virus.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says he recommends that people “stay away” from large New Year’s Eve gatherings where they don’t know the vaccination status of guests.
“There will be other years to do that, but not this year,” he says.https://t.co/X6u5qGcrbn pic.twitter.com/5eaEpVfWhd
— New Day (@NewDay) December 27, 2021
The public health official also said that New Year’s Eve celebrations could be recommended for those Americans who are “vaccinated and boosted … and have a family setting in the home.” (RELATED: ‘Anything That Could Get People More Vaccinated’: Fauci Counters Biden On Domestic Air Travel Vaccine Mandates)
A study from South Africa, a country where the Omicron variant originated, found that it was 80% less likely to result in hospitalization than the previous strains of the virus. The reduced severity of the variant prompted a number of publications to post guidance on how to tell if one had a common cold or COVID-19.
A mid-December poll by Monmouth University showed that the majority of both Republicans and Democrats felt “worn out” by lifestyle changes brought by the pandemic, including lockdowns and mandates.