Dr. Anthony Fauci said the United States has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths compared to other countries around the world.
Not only has the U.S. seen the highest number of coronavirus deaths globally, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases also told health care reporters on Thursday that doctors are seeing the coronavirus manifest itself in different ways in its carriers’ bodies.
“We’re starting to see a number of other organ systems involved and we learn more and more about that literally every day,” Fauci said.
Using a PowerPoint presentation, Fauci explained COVID-19 is manifesting itself severely in different ways that scientists are still tracking. He said cardiac injury, neurological disorders and conditions that lead to a stroke continue to end the lives of Americans.
“The European Union countries peaked and came down to a relatively manageable baseline,” Fauci said. “Whereas in the United States, we peaked but we never fully came down to the baseline that hovered around 20,000.”
Fauci said COVID-19 surges in the states of Florida, Texas, Arizona and California led to daily peaks of cases as high as 70,000, saying a nationwide uniformed response could have stopped the spread of the coronavirus.
”We never really fully shut down in a uniform way throughout the country, although some states and cities did very well in that regard,” Fauci said. “Again, look at the disparity in what’s going on in different regions of the country.”
Fauci hopes for vaccine in 2021
Fauci said even if the coronavirus is around for decades, public health safeguards and an eventual vaccine will allow the world to successfully adapt.
The government’s leading infectious disease expert was asked about whether the coronavirus could become a fact of life for generations.
Fauci said the combination of public health measures — masks, hand washing, social distancing — and vaccines should mean that “you can very well control and essentially eliminate (the coronavirus) from any given country.”
He added: “Remember, there’s only been one virus in the history of the planet that’s been eradicated and that’s smallpox.”
Vaccines are under development and it’s unknown how effective they will be. But added that it’s possible America could reach what’s called “herd immunity” depending on the percentage of Americans carrying the virus.
“When you get to a certain level that are protected, you have what’s called ‘umbrella protection’ of the entire community because so many people are immune that the virus doesn’t have any way to really, really generate any momentum,” Fauci said. “What we want to do is have a combination of people who are immune because they’ve recovered, and there are many of those I can tell you, plus the amount of protection that we can get with the vaccine — which could be 50, 60, 70% — and I believe we can do that.”
A vaccine should be available in 2021, he said.
Fauci says face shields ‘can’t hurt’
Fauci said if you can wear a face shield to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus, you might as well do it.
He said he’s been asked by teachers worried about infection risks from kids in the classroom whether they should wear plastic face shields. They are now commonly used in hospital emergency departments, as well as dental and medical offices.
“It certainly can’t hurt,” said Fauci, who has also promoted the use of cloth masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
There’s no formal recommendation yet to wear face shields because the science isn’t clear, Fauci said, but there is a certain logic to it: So the virus doesn’t enter the body through the mouth, nose and eyes.
Fauci took questions at a session sponsored by the nonprofit Alliance for Health Policy.