Fauci warns: ‘I don’t really see us eradicating’ COVID-19 [Video]

• It may be unlikely to completely eradicate COVID-19, warns White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci.
• Fauci’s comments contradict those of President Trump, who keeps insisting that the virus will simply disappear in time.
• While a vaccine may be created, U.S. health officials believe that there is still no “end in sight” to the pandemic. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House coronavirus advisor, warned on Wednesday that it may be unlikely for the country to eradicate COVID-19.

Fauci stated that he’s “cautiously optimistic” that a good vaccine will be created. He explained, however, that while the virus may be brought down to “low levels,” it will not completely disappear.

During an interview with the TB Alliance, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases stated that “with a combination of good public health measures, a degree of global herd immunity and a good vaccine … we will get control of this, whether it’s this year or next year. I’m not certain.”

He then added, “I don’t really see us eradicating it.” 

Fauci’s statement contradicts that of President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his optimism that the virus would simply disappear with time.

The president had declared during a White House briefing on the pandemic, “The virus will disappear. It will disappear.”

According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, however, COVID-19 is not disappearing and is even continuing to spread rapidly across the country.

As of Wednesday, there have been over 3.9 million cases in the U.S. and at least 142,090 deaths.

According to experts, the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths could increase further this fall.

Fauci explained that unlike SARS, a coronavirus that spread in the early 2000s and was later contained, COVID-19 has an incredibly efficient mode of transmission.

It can also produce a wide range of symptoms: from no symptoms at all to intensive care and even death.

He added that the virus is unlikely to become as benign as the common cold.

Fauci urged officials to adopt mask mandates and close bars to better contain the virus.

On Wednesday, Fauci said that other health officials do not see “an end in sight” to the pandemic. He remarked, “We are certainly not at the end of the game. Certainly we are not winning the game right now. We are not beating it.”

Trump had admitted on Tuesday that the pandemic in the U.S. may “get worse before it gets better.” He continued, “That’s something I don’t like saying about things, but that’s the way it is … it’s all over the world.”

He argued against a nationwide shutdown, however, saying that it would be “completely unsustainable.”

Fauci is also on the fence about a shutdown. He had claimed earlier that the surge in cases is caused by a lack of total shutdown. Currently, however, he has suggested that an “absolute shutdown” may not be needed.

Source: CNBC