Dr. White House chief physician Anthony Fauci said it was conceivable that middle and high schools would be completely mask-free in the fall.
“If the children are vaccinated, chances are that this is actually a recommendation. We just have to wait and see,” said Fauci.
The director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday that more than half a million 12-15 year olds have received a Covid-19 vaccine to date – less than a week since the CDC approved it for public distribution.
Fauci told CNBC’s The News with Shepard Smith that he predicts that the rules for vaccinated students will be different in different school districts in different states, given the power to do so by local authorities.
This week, the governors of Iowa and Texas signed laws banning school districts from requiring masks for students or employees. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said it was up to parents to decide whether their children should wear masks in public schools across the state.
Fauci told host Shepard Smith that he believes the US will meet President Joe Biden’s goal of 70% of adults in the US getting at least one dose of a Covid vaccine by July 4th. Fauci, in turn, said it was unlikely to see Covid-19 spike in the fall if people continue to be vaccinated.
“It’s in our power. We can stop it or just vaccinate it, and I think that’s what’s so frustrating when people don’t want to be vaccinated,” Fauci said. “We all want to go back to normal … There is an easy way to get there, and that is just a vaccination.”
The director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases also made it clear that currently, “we do not know” whether “we absolutely need booster vaccinations” because we do not know the durability of protection in relation to the disease vaccinations.
“We may have to get a booster shot at some point, but we don’t know when that is, whether it’s a year or more than a year. I think we should just be better prepared for it and that was that.” Point I was trying to make, “said Fauci.
