America3 Feb 2021 17:33
Variants could become dominant in US, top expert says
Highly contagious variants of the coronavirus could become the dominant strains of the disease in the US, unless more vaccinations are done at pace, a top health expert says.
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tells NBC’s Today Show the US isn’t vaccinating people fast enough to stay ahead of new variants.
In the UK, South Africa and elsewhere, new variants of the coronavirus have been responsible for a spike in coronavirus infections.
“How concerned are you that these more contagious strains of the virus could become dominant in this country?” Today Show presenter Savannah Guthrie asks Dr Fauci.
“That’s certainly a possibility and that’s the reason why we take it very seriously,” he replies, stressing that vaccinations were the best way to prevent this.
“It can’t mutate if it doesn’t replicate,” Dr Fauci says.