As Anthony Fauci defends COVID test records, Christmas data ends

Dr. Anthony Faucice defended the US record of COVID-19 testing, but admitted he was frustrated with limited testing supplies amid the surge caused by the Omicron variant.

“We’re dealing with testing,” the nation’s top infectious disease expert said in an interview aired on Sunday. ABC‘S This week on Sunday. “Very quickly that will be fixed.”

His words come with the loss of data on COVID-19 cases set to end when the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)CDC) continues to update its COVID Data Tracker today. The last update was on December 23.

The CDC’s COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review, which interprets the week’s data, won’t return until January 7.

Disruptions in data release could pose problems as cases of Omicrons, currently the dominant race in the US, spike, with those facing issues having to check first while traveling during the holiday season.

Above This week, anchor Jonathan Karl noted that President Joe Biden was “quite defensive” in a recent interview when asked if it “failed” the test. Biden recently announced that the federal government will buy half a billion COVID-19 rapid test kits and distribute them for free, but the first batch won’t ship until early January 2022.

“The test was a huge failure in the early days and why, almost two years on, we still don’t have affordable tests that are widely available to anyone who needs it?” Karl asked Fauci. “I mean, this must have let you down, I imagine, right?”

“Well, obviously, Jon,” Fauci replied.

But he added: “I mean, if you look at the beginning of the administration, at the beginning of the year, there were basically no care home rapid tests. Now there are more than nine of them and many more. “

The production of in-house tests has been “upgraded rapidly,” Fauci said, but Omicron “is encouraging people to have interest and a desire to appropriately test, as well as the reality of the tests.” running on holiday.”

He added: “Obviously we have to do better. I mean, I think things will improve a lot as we go into January, but that didn’t help us today and tomorrow. So you’re right. That’s something that matters.”

Later in the interview, Fauci said he was pleased with the evidence that Omicrons cause less severe illness in most people.

But he warned against complacency as the rapid spread of the variant could “reduce the real severity” as so many people could become infected.

“While we are satisfied with the evidence from many countries, that it appears to be of a lower severity, we must be careful that we are not complacent about it as it can still lead to many he said.

“We’re especially worried about those in that unvaccinated class. It’s the people who are most vulnerable when you get a virus that’s particularly effective at infecting people and infecting people.” Omicron’s way.”

Fauci also said he was “stunned”. that Former President Donald Trump was booed by his own supporters when he told them he had received a booster shot.

“I mean, given how popular he was with that group, that they would boo him, it tells me how stubborn they are when told what they should do,” he said. speak. “And I think it’s a good thing that he continues to say that people should get vaccinated and make that clear to them, in my mind, is a good thing. I hope he will continue.”

CDC has been contacted for comment.