Dr. Fauci Says Unvaccinated People Could Cause, Vaccine-Resistant Variant to Develop.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke to ‘USA Today’ over the weekend about the latest COVID-19 developments.
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When asked about the “limbo of a partially vaccinated population,” Dr. Fauci said it’s causing a “smoldering level of infection.”.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, to 'USA Today' , "If you don't [get an overwhelming majority of the population vaccinated], you will get a smoldering level of infection that will just go right into the fall, get confused with influenza in the winter, and then come back again in the spring.".
Dr. Fauci said unvaccinated people, even if they’re “young and healthy,” are a “vehicle for the virus.” .
This ability for the virus to move from person-to-person could eventually lead to “mutation” of the virus, which in turn could cause a "variant" to form.
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Dr. Anthony Fauci, to 'USA Today' , "If you become the vehicle for the virus to go from you to someone else to someone else, you are helping to propagate the virus ... if you allow the virus to freely replicate chronically in society, it will mutate.".
The U.S. is currently dealing with a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.
Like Delta, that mutation could cause an even more serious “variant” with “real functional consequence.” .
Dr. Fauci said it was “conceivable” that a variant could form that is able to “[elude] the protection of the vaccine.” .
Dr. Anthony Fauci, to 'USA Today' , "What happens if over months and months and months you allow the virus to replicate, it is conceivable, not guaranteed, but conceivable, that we could get a variant that eludes the protection of the vaccine."
