Even as the U.S. experiences a record surge in new COVID-19 cases, Dr. Fauci said on Wednesday (Dec. 29) that a transition to life without strict pandemic controls could begin within “months.”
Citing studies of the increasingly dominant Omicron variant that suggest it is less threatening than previous ones, Fauci spoke of living with a virus “that will not be eradicated and very likely would not be eliminated, but can actually be at such a lower level of control, namely, a control that does not disrupt society, does not disrupt the economy.”
“We very well may see a transition in that direction as the months go by,” he said at a news briefing.