Dr. Fauci says it's safe for people to get together for the holidays despite the surge in cases of Omicron coronaviruses.
Fauci said in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday that if you are vaccine-vaccinated, you can still enjoy a social gathering in a home.
Fauci said he would be comfortable with holiday travel. I would be able to get on an airplane. I'm protected by the vaccine. I'm feeling better. He said that they have to wear a mask on an airplane.
N95 masks are the best at keeping out aerosol and droplet particles, but a regular surgical mask and cloth mask work just as well. The situation is rapidly evolving.
Fauci said that if the counts keep going up, then they may need to be more restrictive. People who are boosted should feel comfortable right now.
According to the World Health Organization, the Omicron variant is doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission. 89 countries have reported Omicron cases.
Omicron accounted for 2.9% of the COVID-19 cases in the US in the week ending December 11, according to data from the CDC. In the Department of Health and Human Services region that includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, Omicron was responsible for 13.1% of the cases that week. The highest proportion of omicron cases is seen in the 10 designated regions.
Omicron may be more transmissible than other strains. Milder cases may be possible because of protection from vaccines.
More than 806,000 people have died of the coronaviruses in the US as of December 17th, according to the University.
