US needs 鈥榯o do much better鈥� on Covid vaccine uptake
Only about a third of the US population has had a booster vaccination, says Dr Anthony Fauci.
The Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden, Dr Anthony Fauci, has told the 大象传媒 the United States is 鈥渘ot doing very well鈥� on Covid vaccine uptake.
Noting that roughly two-thirds of the US population are fully vaccinated and only a third has had a booster vaccine, Dr Fauci said 鈥渨e need to do much better鈥�.
Speaking to Hardtalk鈥檚 Stephen Sackur, Dr Fauci responded to President Biden鈥檚 comment that 鈥渢he pandemic is over鈥�, asserting that the President "could have used better words鈥�. Dr Fauci said that although the US was 鈥渕uch better off鈥� than it had been, technically speaking the Covid-19 pandemic was 鈥渘ot over鈥� .
The United States has over a million Covid deaths, far higher than any other country.
Despite Dr Fauci鈥檚 previous prediction that Covid would be 鈥渂ehind us鈥� by now, an average of about 400 people in the country continue to die each day. Dr Fauci acknowledged that even when compared to 鈥渓ow and middle-income countries鈥� the US has not fared well.
Dr Fauci, who will step down in December after advising US Presidents for 38 years, insisted that President Biden 鈥渢akes the Covid outbreak very seriously鈥�.
When asked whether Biden鈥檚 statement was damaging to trust and public health, Dr Fauci considered that characterisation to be 鈥渁 bit unfair鈥�.
