Nearly two years after it began, the COVID-19 pandemic still finds new ways to surprise us. From the development of effective vaccines to surges caused by new variants, the virus’s timeline has seen the overall outlook change back and forth from desperate to hopeful as we combat each new obstacle. Fortunately, some experts predict that the current Omicron surge could already be reaching its peak in the U.S. and other parts of the world. But according to chief White House COVID adviser Anthony Fauci, MD, there’s one thing that is still needed to end the pandemic once and for all finally.
While appearing on a remote panel at the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda on Jan. 17, Fauci discussed what the next phase of the pandemic might look like as Omicron begins to wane. He argued that the ability of COVID-19 to mutate as efficiently as it has shows that both herd immunity and variant-specific vaccines were not viable long-term options for controlling the virus, arguing that a broader vaccine that can stay efficient against multiple variants was the only way to truly bring about an end to the pandemic.
“We don’t want to get into a whack-a-mole for every variant, where you have to make a booster against a particular variant. You’ll be chasing it forever,” Fauci said. “That’s the reason why what we’re all pushing for is finding out what the mechanisms are that induces a response to a commonality among all the real and potential variants we’re seeing and that can occur.”
While he still predicts improved vaccines could be crucial to keeping COVID-19 at bay, Fauci still remorsefully clarified that the pandemic may have dragged on longer than necessary by refusing to follow guidelines proven to be successful at stopping the virus.
“We have such a degree of push-back against regular, normal, easy-to-understand public health measures,” he said. “A reluctance to wear masks, to promote vaccination, to the kinds of measures we know if we all pull together as a society, we’d be much, much better off.”
Fauci’s comments on the need for a broader COVID-19 vaccine were immediately met with the news that an Omicron-specific vaccine booster could soon be available anyway. Previously…
Read full story here: Fauci Says We Need a Vaccine Against All Variants to End the Pandemic