
<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that Americans, particularly those who are fully vaccinated, shouldn’t hesitate to spend holidays with their families this year amid the Covid-19 pandemic, clarifying earlier comments he had made that expressed more doubt about whether people could safely gather.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Fauci&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/ABCPolitics/status/1449735239438307332" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;on ABC’s&nbsp;<em>This Week</em>&nbsp;he “believe[s] strongly” that Americans can “enjoy the holidays,” “particularly … if you’re vaccinated and your family members are vaccinated.”</p>



<p>Fauci said people can go trick-or-treating for Halloween and can “certainly” spend holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas “with your family.”</p>



<p>The public health expert said holiday celebrations are a reason why he “emphasize[s]it’s so important to get vaccinated,” because getting the shot brings down community Covid-19 transmission in addition to protecting the person and their family.</p>



<p>When community spread of Covid-19 is lower, “there’s no reason at all” why people “can’t enjoy the holidays in a family way,” Fauci said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>23%. That’s the percentage Covid-19 cases in the U.S. have declined by over the past two weeks, according to public health data cited by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>New York Times</em></a>, as the country has begun to recover following the nationwide surges of the highly infectious delta variant over the summer. Cases are still high in some states, however, with Alaska and Montana currently recording the highest number of cases per capita in the country, though even those states’ cases are remaining flat or decreasing.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



<p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/10/03/heres-how-the-cdc-says-you-should-celebrate-the-holidays-this-year/?sh=240eb2fa3b6b">published guidance</a>&nbsp;earlier in October urging people to be cautious with their holiday celebrations this year, which encouraged outdoor or virtual celebrations over indoor gatherings. The agency has since updated that guidance, however, and the current&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays/celebrations.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CDC advice</a>, which was last updated on Friday, notes the “best way to minimize Covid-19 risk” is to get vaccinated if eligible. The current CDC guidance recommends some safer strategies for gathering, such as mask-wearing, avoiding “crowded, poorly ventilated spaces” and not attending or hosting a gathering if you have Covid-19 symptoms, but does not go as far as its earlier guidance in dissuading people from gathering indoors.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>Fauci came under criticism earlier in October after the initial CDC guidance was published for taking a more hesitant view on holiday celebrations,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/transcript-dr-anthony-fauci-on-face-the-nation-october-3-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">saying</a>&nbsp;on CBS it was “too soon to tell” whether families could gather safely for Christmas. “We&#8217;ve just got to concentrate on continuing to get those numbers down and not try to jump ahead by weeks or months and say what we&#8217;re going to do at a particular time,” Fauci said. The public health expert&nbsp;<a href="https://wtop.com/national/2021/10/fauci-clarifies-weekend-remarks-on-holiday-gatherings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">backtracked</a>&nbsp;on that statement, saying on CNN later that day his comments had been “misinterpreted” as telling people “we can’t spend Christmas with our families, which was absolutely not the case.”&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-we-don-t-know">WHAT WE DON’T KNOW</h2>



<p>Whether people will actually follow Fauci’s advice and gather with their families—particularly if they’re vaccinated and their family members are not. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/09/21/half-of-vaccinated-americans-might-not-spend-the-holidays-with-unvaccinated-family-and-friends-poll-finds/?sh=1f95c3d5349a">Harris poll</a>&nbsp;conducted in September found 50% of vaccinated respondents were “extremely” or “considerably” hesitant to spend the holidays with unvaccinated family members or friends, and 54% of all respondents said vaccination status would be a factor in their holiday travel and gathering plans.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays/celebrations.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Holiday Celebrations</a>&nbsp;(CDC)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/10/03/heres-how-the-cdc-says-you-should-celebrate-the-holidays-this-year/?sh=240eb2fa3b6b">Here’s How The CDC Says You Should Celebrate The Holidays This Year</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/09/21/half-of-vaccinated-americans-might-not-spend-the-holidays-with-unvaccinated-family-and-friends-poll-finds/?sh=1f95c3d5349a">Half Of Vaccinated Americans Might Not Spend The Holidays With Unvaccinated Family And Friends, Poll Finds</a> (Forbes)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Alison Durkee, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Tag: Dr. Anthony Fauci

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Fauci Says People Should Feel Free To ‘Enjoy The Holidays’ With Family This Year — Especially If They’re All Vaccinated