"It's still on the rise. Yesterday, we had almost 745,000 cases."
Coronavirus cases are at all-time
highs. Even though specialists argue that hospitalizations are the most
accurate measure of how terrible things are getting, hospitalizations are on
the rise as well, if only because so many people are getting COVID in the first
place. How can you keep yourself safe? And when will this Omicron surge come to
an end? Dr. Anthony Fauci, the President's chief medical advisor and director
of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks with David
Ushery of NBC New York. Read on for five life-saving tips.
1. Dr. Fauci Warned That Cases are
"Surging Upward" and Here's When They Might Go Down
"It's still on the rise.
Yesterday, we had almost 745,000 cases. I wouldn't be surprised if we reached a
million cases every day "In an interview with News 4, Fauci stated.
"I would expect that by the time we get to the fourth week in January—end
of the third week, beginning of the fourth week—we will start to see this
coming down," Fauci added.
2. Dr. Fauci Said Here's How to
Keep Schools Open
"The overall principle will be
to attempt to keep the children in school since we know the negative impacts of
keeping them out with virtual learning," Dr. Fauci stated. "The best
way to keep them safe is to surround them with individuals who have been
vaccinated, such as teachers and school employees who wear masks. And to the
extent that you can, and I understand that not every school can, try to get the
ventilation system going so that you don't end up with a situation where everyone
is packed in with no sufficient airflow." Because this isn't available in
every educational system, "You'll have to make some hard decisions. This
is dependent on where you are, your location, and the current outbreak of
illnesses."
3. Dr. Fauci Said Here's How Long
to Quarantine After a COVID Infection
"There's
been some confusion and some issues about the CDC's credibility," Ushery
said, adding that the CDC's advice is to quarantine for five days and then
return to work if you're essential—a negative test is recommended but not
required. "The majority of transmission occurs within the first five days,
and then it drops drastically," Dr. Fauci explained the CDC's decision.
"It doesn't go to zero. It drops sharply dramatically. So they're saying
that if you've been infected for five days, you may go back into society and
wear a mask. If you have the possibility, take a test. Even if the result is
negative, you must continue wear the mask. That is critical. If it's positive,
you'll spend five days in isolation."
4. Dr. Fauci Said This About a
Possible Fourth Booster
"I believe it is prudent to plan for the possibility of requiring a fourth shot. However, I believe that whether or not we will require it will be determined by the information collected from individuals who have received the third boost."
5. How to Stay Safe Out There
Get vaccinated or boost your
vaccinations as soon as possible; if you live in an area with low vaccination
rates, wear an N95 face mask, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people
you aren't sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene.