White House COVID tsar Dr. Anthony Fauci said the recent surge of blue states lifting pandemic restrictions, such as mask mandates, ha...
White House COVID tsar Dr. Anthony Fauci said the recent surge of blue states lifting pandemic restrictions, such as mask mandates, has 'nothing to do with politics' and is in response to the nation's declining positivity rate.
'I wouldn't say it's the politics. I think it's the different evaluation of what's right for a particular community,' Fauci told MSNBC on Monday.
'When you use the word politics, I'm not sure it's that. I just think at the local level, there's a strong feeling of needing to get back to normality.'
He added: 'Now, if you look at the science of it, I mean the direction is going in the right direction. Are we there yet in every single place throughout the country? I don't believe so. But there are some places that are looking at what the trajectory is, and are saying let's go with it.'
The public health leader's comments come as the Democratic-majority states of California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York started easing back restrictions.
Nationwide, cases are down 44 percent over the past week, according to data from Johns Hopkins, and the 151,056 average daily infections are a far fall from the 800,000 per day reached at the Omicron surge's peak in mid-January.
The U.S. is currently averaging 2,306 COVID deaths per day, over the past week. The figure has hovered in the 2,400 to 2,500 range in recent weeks, and is now showing early signs that it will start to fall.
Fauci warned that although case numbers are 'going in the right direction' he doesn't want anyone to be 'declaring victory prematurely.'
Dr. Anthony Fauci said the recent surge of blue states lifting COVID restrictions, such as mask mandates, has 'nothing to do with politics' and is in response to the declining case rates
Critics have slammed Democratic leaders for easing mask mandates and other COVID restrictions, despite having previously criticized those same officials for enforcing them in the first place.
The skeptics allege that the Democrats are taking a sharp turn against their heavy restrictions amid fears of losing their House and Senate majorities in the upcoming midterm elections.
For example, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock released a new campaign ad last week noting that 'people are tired' of mandates as a video montage of maskless scenes across the state flash on screen.
Warnock then went on to say people that are 'wondering when things will get back to normal, and at the same time not knowing what normal even means anymore.'
Fauci, however, argues the decisions are solely based on science and changing case rates.
'Well if you look at the trajectory downward of the cases and the hospitalization, it's clearly going in the right direction,' he said.
'I mean obviously the CDC still now recommends masking because of the degree of infection that we're seeing, but what I believe the states are doing is anticipating that we are going in the right direction and they feel they might as well just get back to trying to get back to some form of normality by pulling back on restrictions.
Nationwide, cases are down 44 percent over the past week, according to data from Johns Hopkins, and the 151,056 average daily infections are a far fall from the 800,000 per day reached at the Omicron surge's peak in mid-January
The U.S. is currently averaging 2,306 COVID deaths per day, over the past week. The figure has hovered in the 2,400 to 2,500 range in recent weeks, and is now showing early signs that it will start to fall
Fauci also warned that states need to 'be careful' about their decisions because doing so 'prematurely' could have unwanted consequences.
He said that is why the CDC will 'continue to monitor these things and make modifications of recommendations as we see the trajectory continue to come downward.'
'But it's entirely understandable why the states, at the local level, are looking at what their own local situation is and are making decisions,' Fauci stated.
'That's the way it works. The CDC makes recommendations and locally the decision is made on the basis of what's going on in your particular location.'
COVID cases are dropping in all 50 U.S. states over the past two weeks, and have slashed in half during the period in 46 of them.
Oklahoma in Nebraska are recording the sharpest drops, with both seeing daily infections drop over 80 percent in the last 14 days. Oklahoma was one of the final states in the U.S. to still be recording an upward trend during the Omicron surge.
Critics have slammed Democratic leaders for easing mask mandates and other COVID restrictions, alleging the move comes in fear of losing their majorities during the upcoming midterm election. Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock released a new campaign ad (pictured) last week noting that 'people are tired' of mandates
In 17 states, cases have dropped more than 70 percent over the past two weeks. These astronomical figures will likely begin to shrink soon, as COVID cases begin to reach such low points that they will likely steady soon.
Deaths are finally beginning to trend in the right direction as well. The figure, which often lags behind cases by a few weeks, flattened recently and now is showing the first signs of a downward trend.
Only three U.S. states are still recording more than one daily COVID death per 100,000 residents. Each are southern state with low vaccination rates.
Mississippi is still the national leader in COVID mortality. The Magnolia state is recording 1.76 COVID deaths every day for every 100,000 residents - by far the highest rate of any state. It also has only vaccinated 51 percent of residents, one of the lowest rates in the country.
West Virginia, which has vaccinated only 56 percent of residents, and Arkansas, at a 53 percent vaccination rate, are both logging high COVID mortality rates as well.
In 17 states, cases have dropped more than 70 percent over the past two weeks
COVID hospitalizations have also seen a 23 percent drop since last week
Only three U.S. states are still recording more than one daily COVID death per 100,000 residents. Each are southern state with low vaccination rates
Dr Scott Gottlieb, former director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and current board member at Pfizer, said last week that Americans are 'frayed' after nearly two years of COVID, and it is time to let them relax as the pandemic is showing signs of ending.
'I don't think it's imprudent that governors lean forward, anticipating that conditions are going to continue to improve, recognizing that people are frayed,' he told CNBC's Squawk Box last week.
'We have a narrow window of opportunity to restore some sense of normalcy to the schools.'
Even some Obama-era officials are beginning to chime in to support the lifting of these mandates.
Dr Kavita Patel, an MSNBC contributor who works as a primary care physician and director of policy for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement in the Obama administration told Squawk Box last week that the mandates should go, and parents should be able to choose for themselves whether they want to send their children to school every day with a face covering.
'If you told me there's a future where we're wearing masks in perpetuity I'd say that's ridiculous, the science doesn't support that if we see that cases are coming down,' Patel said.
Some states are starting to listen to those calls from parents and the larger community as well. Connecticut and Massachusetts both set plans in place to lift its school mask mandate on February 28 last week.
Nearby Delaware did the same last week. Ned Lamont, governor of Connecticut, told Squawk Box last week that the decision by the northeastern states was made in tandem.
Other states like Illinois, New Jersey and New York relaxed mask orders last week as well though did not remove face coverings from schools.
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