Dr. Fauci warns vaccinated people not to do this over the Christmas and holiday season! Avoid THIS at all costs!
This new recommendation comes amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
People in the U.S. and Europe are deciding right now whether they will travel and spend the holidays with loved ones. While virus experts had encouraged holiday celebrations this year, a new variant of the virus has put the country at risk again. The Omikron variant is now prevalent in the U.S., increasing the number of infections and currently accounting for more than 73 percent of cases, according to recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although they’ve given the green light for celebrations this winter, virus experts are now offering new urgent advice for those celebrations.
During a December 21 interview on MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber, White House COVID advisor Anthony Fauci, MD, spoke about upcoming holidays amid the rapidly spreading Omicron variant. The infectious disease expert is now warning vaccinated people not to invite unvaccinated relatives or friends to the festivities this winter.
“I think we’re dealing with such a serious situation right now that in the case of an unvaccinated person, I would say, ‘I’m very sorry, but not this time,'” Fauci told MSNBC reporter Alicia Menendez. He added, “Maybe another time when this is all over.”
The infectious disease expert has been even more vocal in advising against inviting unvaccinated people to holiday events since the Omicron variant emerged. “People should, when they invite people to their homes, essentially ask and maybe require that people prove that they’ve been vaccinated or give their honest and good faith word that they’ve been vaccinated,” Fauci said in a Dec. 8 interview on Washington Post Live.
During a COVID response team press briefing at the White House on December 22, Fauci and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, reiterated that the safest way to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve is to be vaccinated and refreshed and only socialize with others who are also vaccinated. However, according to the infectious disease expert, even a booster vaccination is not a sufficient protective measure to celebrate in a big way this time of year.
“I want to make sure that this is not confused with going to a large gathering – and there are many of those – with 30, 40, 50 people where you don’t know the vaccination status of the individuals. Those are the kinds of events – within COVID and especially within Omicron – that you don’t want to go to,” he acknowledged.
According to Fauci, the Omicron variant can affect both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, but those who have not been vaccinated are certainly more at risk. “If you’re dealing with any COVID-19 virus, that’s a problem, but if you’re dealing with [a variant] that’s spreading so quickly and you’re not vaccinated, the virus is going to find you,” he warned in his MSNBC interview.
He added, “There are a lot of people who are going to get seriously ill if you’re not vaccinated.”
Unvaccinated people are not only at higher risk for themselves, but could also spread the virus to their vaccinated family members or friends, especially as Omicron continues to spawn more breakthrough infections. And previous research has shown that unvaccinated people who contract COVID can spread the virus more easily and for longer periods of time than vaccinated people. Fauci says this is another reason why unvaccinated people should get vaccinated and not attend gatherings.
“It’s best for you and your family, but also your social responsibility, to not allow yourself to be a vehicle for spreading the virus to other people who could be very susceptible,” Fauci told Menendez.
