National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview Tuesday that he hoped Covid-19 restrictions would end soon due to increasing vaccination rates and more treatment options.
“As we get out of the full-blown pandemic phase of Covid-19, which we are certainly heading out of, these decisions will increasingly be made on a local level rather than centrally decided or mandated,” Fauci, who is also the White House chief medical adviser, told the Financial Times.
While Covid-19 deaths continue to hold steady this week, US Department of Health and Human Services data recently showed that Covid-19 hospitalizations dropped below 100,000 for the first time in more than a month with a rapid decline in new cases.
Fauci’s comments indicate a possible shift of decision-making to local officials rather than the Biden administration as infection rates continue to fall after the Omicron surge. He also told the Financial Times that he believes the end of Covid-related restrictions, including mask mandates, will likely happen this year, with the caveat that they may be reinstated temporarily should outbreaks occur.
As more states announce plans to drop mask mandates, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said cases and hospitalizations are still too high to relax Covid-19 recommendations.
While Fauci doesn’t believe the virus will be eradicated, he said he hopes “we are looking at a time when we have enough people vaccinated and enough people with protection from previous infection that the Covid restrictions will soon be a thing of the past.”