Anthony Fauci is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Anthony Fauci, the White House's chief medical advisor, said on Wednesday that a growing body of data shows that the Covid omicron variant is less severe than the delta strain, but warned that hospitals could still face stress from the unprecedented number of new infections sweeping across the U.
Fauci told the public that multiple sources of preliminary data indicate a decrease in severity with Omicron. We need more definitive assessment of severity with longer-term follow up in different countries.
A study from Ontario, Canada, found that people who were exposed to omicron had a lower risk of dying or being hospitalized. The risk of death from omicron was lower than the risk of admission to an intensive care unit.
A study from South Africa found that about 5% of infections during the omicron wave resulted in hospital admission. The data shows that patients admitted to the hospital during the omicron wave were less likely to have severe disease.
Recent animal studies show that the lung infections from omicron are less severe than in the past.
Fauci said that the omicron virus was well-developed in the upper airway and bronchi, but not in the lungs. He said that this does not prove that omicron is more mild, but that it is consistent with the variant that causes less severe lung infections.
The omicron variant appears less severe for children than the delta variant. He warned that hospitalizations are rising among unvaccinated kids because omicron is so infectious. He urged parents to make sure their children are protected against Covid.
Fauci warned that even if omicron is less severe, it could still produce a large number of patients who need hospital care, straining the nation's health-care system.
According to data compiled by the University, the U.S. reported 869,000 new Covid infections on Tuesday. The nation is reporting a seven-day average of more than 553,000 new infections every day, more than double the previous week and a record for a Pandemic.
Fauci said that a certain proportion of cases would be severe. Don't take this as a sign that we can pull back from the recommendations.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the number of Americans hospitalized with Covid has increased by 39% over the past week. That figure is still below the peak levels seen during last winter's surge, when hospitalizations topped 137,000.
Fauci urged the public to follow public health guidance by getting vaccine, boosted and wearing a mask.
