Fauci Urges Continuing COVID-19 Measures Even if Vaccine is Already Approved

By Neil P. First Posted: Nov 16, 2020 05:10 PM EST

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious and disease expert, suggested to continue following COVID-19 measures even after getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

(Photo : Reutersconnect)
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies during the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing.

Pfizer and Moderna are more likely to get emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration in the coming days.

This is after Pfizer said that its vaccine is 90 percent effective while Moderna is now gathering the data for its last stage of a human clinical trial.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's leading disease and infectious disease expert, said on Sunday that it is still recommended to follow COVID-19 measures such as wearing of face masks, strict observance of social distancing, and proper handwashing even after getting the vaccine.

Stick to COVID-19 measures

During the interview of Jacob Tapper with Dr. Fauci, he asked the NIH Director if people can go back to their normal routine without handwashing and mask wearing.

Dr. Anthony Fauci replied, "I would recommend that that is not the case. I would recommend you have an added area of protection."

Months ago, Fauci claimed that he cannot guarantee a safe and effective vaccine before the year ends because of the timetable that the vaccines are developed.

"Obviously, with a 90-plus percent effective vaccine, you could feel much more confident. But I would recommend to people to not abandon all public health measures just because you have been vaccinated, because even though, for the general population, it might be 90 to 95 percent effective, you don't necessarily know, for you, how effective it is," Dr. Fauci added.

According to CNBC, Fauci urged the public to continue to follow these COVID-19 measures even if he will receive the vaccine in the coming months. This might be because even if the vaccines are showing promising results, it is still not clear as to how long the vaccines will give immunity against the virus.

Even though Dr. Fauci admitted that he could feel more relaxed once the vaccine is ready to use, that does not mean that he can let down his guards.

He will not abandon COVID-19 measures and he firmly believed that it is not a good idea not to continue wearing face masks, social distancing, and proper handwashing even after getting the vaccine.

Gatherings during holidays

Tapper also asked Dr. Fauci if would be safe for the residents in the country to gather for holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving in 2021. He answered that it depends on different factors.

Fauci said, "We are not going to turn it on and off, going from where we are to completely normal. It's going to be a gradual accrual of more normality as the weeks and the months go by, as we get well into 2021."

Fauci also shows a positive response about the appointment of Ron Klain as Biden's Chief of Staff. The infectious disease expert even described Ro Klain as Biden's excellent choice. Rn Klain was became known as Ebola Czar during the Obama administration.