Fauci doesn’t think COVID-19 will be eradicated but ‘help is on the way’ with vaccine

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said he believes “help is on the way” with a COVID-19 vaccine — but the virus won’t be completely eradicated.

Fauci said Thursday during a webinar hosted by policy institute Chatham House that he doesn’t think people will become complacent because of reported advancements toward a coronavirus vaccine, CNBC first reported.

“I think the opposite. ... I really do” Fauci said. “The cavalry is coming but don’t put your weapons down, you better keep fighting because they are not here yet. Help is on the way, but it isn’t here yet.”

Fauci also cited the response to HIV, Ebola, Zika virus and other outbreaks, stating that he doesn’t think the virus will be completely erased.

“I doubt we are going to eradicate this. I think we need to plan that this is something we may need to maintain control over chronically. It may be something that becomes endemic, that we have to just be careful about,” he said. “Certainly, it is not going to be a pandemic for a lot longer because I believe the vaccines are going to turn that around.”

Fauci’s comments came days after Pfizer released early results from its coronavirus vaccine trial, saying the vaccine is 90% effective in preventing the disease in volunteers who haven’t had COVID-19, The New York Times reported.

Coronavirus cases have increased by 40% in the past week in the seven-day average, Axios reported, and the U.S. is now averaging around 119,000 new cases a day. Cases have spiked in 45 states and held steady in the other five.

The U.S. has more than 10.4 million confirmed cases of the virus and more than 242,000 deaths as of Nov. 12, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Fauci has called for a better public health response and said he is “worried about winter in the U.S.,” The Wall Street Journal reported. He also said there was “no appetite” for a renewed lockdown.

This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Fauci doesn’t think COVID-19 will be eradicated but ‘help is on the way’ with vaccine."