Anthony Fauci:
Well, it certainly is a game changer, Judy, for people who are not vaccinated.
One of the issues that’s very, very clear is that the vaccines that are used in this country, fundamentally, the mRNA vaccines, with few exceptions, are really doing quite well in protecting against any symptomatic disease, and certainly highly effective in preventing against severe disease that would lead to hospitalization or deaths.
The concern we have is that we have pockets in this country, particularly, but not exclusively, among certain Southern states, where the level of vaccination is really dangerously low, around 35 percent or so. As a country, we’re doing very well. We have 50 percent of the adult population is fully vaccinated.
More than that, about 67 or 66 percent of the adult population has received at least one dose. And particularly among the elderly, about 85-plus percent of the elderly have received one dose. That’s the good news, is that, if you are vaccinated, in general, you are doing fine.
It’s the concern about unvaccinated people. So, if ever there was what I would say a clarion call to people to please get vaccinated, you can protect yourself against a virus that has a better capability of spreading from person to person and that could make you more seriously ill.
So that’s the issue. You don’t want to see two Americas, one that’s protected very nicely because the vaccines work, and then certain pockets of the country where you can have these mini-surges which could really be very disconcerting and dangerous.