‘We likely will see an uptick in cases’: What Fauci said about the BA.2 variant

As news spreads of the new BA.2 omicron subvariant, many are wondering whether it’s more dangerous than omicron BA.1 and delta before it, whether we might see another surge, and whether we need to reinstate COVID-19 safety mandates.

On ABC News’s program “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos, Chief Medical Advisor to the president Dr. Anthony Fauci answered those questions and more.

Firstly, Fauci said, the BA.2 variant has a transmissibility 50% to 60% higher than the original omicron variant. This means it will, over time, become the dominant strain, he said.

Still, Fauci said, BA.2 does not seem to cause more serious illness than the original omicron variant, nor is it more resistant to vaccines or prior infections.

“The bottom line is, we likely will see an uptick in cases as we’ve seen in the European countries,” he said.

“…Hopefully, we won’t see a surge. I don’t think we will,” he said. “The easiest way to prevent that is to continue to get people vaccinated, and for those who have been vaccinated to continue to get boosted.”

Fauci also said he doesn’t think mask mandates and other such restrictions need to be reinstated at this point.

“If we do see a significant surge, particularly one that might result in increased hospitalizations, we have to be prepared to pivot and perhaps reinstitute some of those restrictions,” he said. “But right now, at this point, I don’t see that.”

The current CDC guidelines only recommend masking if you or someone you regularly interact with is immunocompromised, or if your area is experiencing a surge.

As of Friday, Boston had 813 new confirmed cases, and the city’s average positivity rate for the last week was 1.68%, according to the city’s website.

As of the same date, 231 people were hospitalized for COVID-19, with 38 people in the ICU and 15 intubated. Six new deaths were reported.

The city’s vaccination rate is 72%.

As for what more we can do to prevent a surge, Fauci said the biggest thing is that more people need to get vaccinated.

“We only still have about 65% of our population that has been vaccinated, and of those who are eligible for a booster, only about 50% of them have been boosted.”

Fauci also said he hopes Congress will put money towards buying more anti-viral medication, COVID-19 tests, and booster shots.

“We just can’t stand still, particularly as we appear to be in somewhat of a low, where cases continue to come down and deaths continue to come down and hospitalizations,” he said.

“That’s no time at all to declare victory because this virus has fooled us before. And we really must be prepared for the possibility that we might get another variant.”

Fauci also commented on President Joe Biden making Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, the administration’s next COVID-19 response coordinator. Jha starts next month and is replacing Jeff Zients.

“He’s a very competent person. He’s been involved in this, not in the government, but from the outside. He’s an experienced public health person,” Fauci said.

Fauci said Dr. Jha will have to learn the ropes of working in government, but that he’d get lots of help from colleagues and would adjust quickly.

Jha spoke about what he’d do in his position on Friday on NBC‘s “Today” show.

“The first order of business is the president has laid out a really comprehensive plan for how we prepare and it’s about executing on that plan,” Jha said.

“It’s about making sure we have enough tests and vaccines and therapeutics and masks. It’s about vaccinating the world so that we can get this pandemic finally behind us… That’s what I am going to be focused on when I join the administration.”

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