Dr. Anthony Fauci Warns of Another Wave of COVID Infections as Holiday Travel Season Begins Amid Omicron Threat

Chief medical adviser to the President, Dr. Anthony Fauci, warned about an increased risk of COVID due to holiday travel as the highly contagious Omicron variant wreaks havoc around the globe.

The nation's top infectious disease expert issued his warning during an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" with Chuck Todd on Sunday. Fauci said people need to be "prudent" if they plan to travel during this year's holiday season, New York Post reported.

Fauci emphasized every individual's "increased risk" if they decide to travel this season.

"Clearly, when you travel, there is always a risk of increased infection. That just goes with respiratory illnesses," Fauci noted.

Apart from highlighting the risk, Fauci also said that people still need to wear their masks in "congregate settings like airports" even if they are fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.

Anthony Fauci on Omicron Variant Hospitalizations

To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded at least 65.2 percent of eligible Americans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

But due to the remaining unvaccinated people in the country, Fauci said he still believes the Omicron variant will drive up hospitalizations in the coming weeks.

According to Fauci, the Omicron variant has "extraordinary spreading capabilities." He said there were several regions in the country with a few percent of the isolates, which are positive now, and going up to "30, 40, in some places, 50 percent."

As the Omicron variant continues to wreak havoc across the globe, medical experts warned of an Omicron-fueled "viral blizzard" that will hit the U.S. Fauci echoed the same thought, saying that the Omicron variant is "raging through the world."

He noted that the Omicron variant has a doubling time of from two to three days in several regions of the country, "which means it's going to take over."

Many cases of the Omicron variant are so-called "breakthrough" infections, and according to Fauci, "there's no doubt" that the U.S. will see more of that. On Sunday, Florida reported that about 30 percent of new infections in the state were among those vaccinated but not yet received their booster shots.

"We are going to see significant stress in some regions of the country, on the hospital system, particularly in those areas where you have a low level of vaccination," Fauci said.

Health Experts Urge Americans to Get Vaccinated and Boosted

As Fauci warned about holiday travels and breakthrough infections in the light of the Omicron's threat, health experts urged Americans to get vaccinated and boosted.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Dr. Francis Collins told CBS "Face The Nation" that the COVID vaccine and booster shot will protect individuals against Omicron variant.

"A big message for today is if you've had vaccines and a booster, you're very well protected against Omicron causing you severe disease," Collins noted. The NIH director then called on the Americans, who belong to the 60 percent eligible to take a booster, to get their third jab and not wait.

In Sunday's interview, Fauci also highlighted the differences between vaccinated individuals and unvaccinated.

"The difference between a vaccinated and boosted person who has an infection and someone who has an infection who has never been vaccinated, there's a major difference with regard to the risk of severity," Fauci said.

The Omicron variant has reportedly been found in 43 out of 50 states. The push for vaccine and booster shots from health experts came at the end of the week in which the U.S. has surpassed 800,000 deaths from COVID-19 and saw a 17 percent surge in cases and a 9 percent rise in deaths.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Dr. Anthony Fauci Weighs in on Holiday Gatherings, Travel Amid Omicron - From CNBC Television