Fauci: indoor mask mandates may change soon

CDC would update guide on masks for vaccinated people 1:07

(CNN) -

Dr. Anthony Fauci says federal guidelines in the United States on the use of masks indoors may change soon.

On ABC News Sunday, Fauci was asked if it's time to start loosening up the demands on wearing masks indoors.

Fauci replied, "I think so, and I think we will probably see that as we move forward and more people get vaccinated."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will update its guidance in near real time as more Americans get vaccinated, said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious diseases.

• ANALYSIS |

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Last month, the CDC relaxed its guidance on wearing face masks outdoors, but still advises vaccinated and unvaccinated people to continue wearing masks in indoor public spaces, such as a shopping mall, movie theater or museum.

Dr. Huerta analyzes new guide on the use of masks 2:32

"We have to start being more liberal as we vaccinate more people," he added.

On CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said face mask requirements should be relaxed now that the risk of covid-19 is decreasing.

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"Certainly outdoors, we should no longer limit meetings," Gottlieb said.

"The states where the prevalence is low, the vaccination rates are high and we have good evidence, and we are identifying infections, I think we could start to remove these restrictions indoors as well, broadly."

Lifting pandemic restrictions when they are no longer needed will make it easier for public health officials to re-implement them if cases spike again, such as in a possible winter surge, Gottlieb said.

Fauci and his prediction for Mother's Day

The United States will likely return to normal by next Mother's Day, if enough people get vaccinated against covid-19, Fauci said on ABC News.

"I hope that next Mother's Day we will see a dramatic difference from what we are seeing now," she said.

"I think we will be as close to getting back to normal as possible."

But there are some conditions, he said.

“We have to make sure we vaccinate an overwhelming proportion of the population.

When that happens, the virus will really have nowhere to go, "he said.

We will not see an increase.

We won't see the kind of numbers we see now.

White House covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients told Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union" show on Sunday that the country is "turning the corner" on the pandemic, but stressed the importance of all Americans getting vaccinated.

He noted that President Joe Biden set a goal of vaccinating 70% of adults by July 4.

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5:08

«Today we are at 58%.

So we have a path ahead of us, ”he said.

Zients said that despite a bit of mask fatigue, Americans should follow the science when it comes to wearing masks indoors and wait for new guidance from the CDC before changing their habits.

“We all want to return to a normal lifestyle.

I think we are on the way to do it, but continue with discipline and let's take advantage of the new privileges of being vaccinated and not wearing masks outdoors, for example, unless you are in a crowded place, "he said.

3 things that can overcome doubts about vaccines

The US has a chance to get ahead in the covid-19 pandemic by getting more people vaccinated, and three key things can help address current concerns, says one expert.

'People were concerned about safety.

We now have hundreds of millions of doses, so we have excellent safety data, "emergency physician Dr. Anand Swaminathan told CNN on Saturday.

"People were concerned about efficacy," he said, adding that there is now real-world data showing how effective vaccines are.

And finally, Swaminathan said, some Americans were concerned that the vaccines did not have FDA approval and had only received emergency use authorization.

But Pfizer / BioNTech announced on Friday a request for full FDA approval of its vaccine for people age 16 and older, making it the first COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. to be evaluated for your full approval.

«What is the difference between FDA emergency use authorization and full approval?

It's really time and money, ”Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist, told CNN on Saturday.

Peruvian family flies to the US to get vaccinated 3:33

"But for some people, seeing full FDA approval will give them more confidence that these vaccines are safe and effective, and look, they are safe and effective," he added.

The FDA "will act as quickly as possible", without compromising its safety standards, to evaluate Pfizer's vaccine for approval, Zients said Friday.

More than 151 million Americans, about 45.6% of the population, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to CDC data.

More than 112 million Americans, nearly 34% of the population, are fully vaccinated, CDC data shows.

US Official: Trust in Vaccine Is Just One Piece of the Puzzle

For officials across the country, vaccinating more Americans will now be an uphill battle, as experts say the US has reached out to those who weren't as eager for a vaccine or still have questions.

Vaccination rates are already declining.

For the first time since early March, the seven-day average of doses administered in the United States fell below 2 million per day, according to CDC data released Saturday.

But on Sunday, the seven-day average returned above 2 million a day, the CDC said.

But confidence in vaccines is only "one piece of the puzzle," when it comes to the challenges the United States faces in its vaccination efforts, US Health Director Dr. Vivek Murthy said during a session on Friday. information on covid-19 at the White House.

Free tickets to the Super Bowl for those who get vaccinated 1:11

"The barriers to getting vaccinated fall into three main categories," he said.

"Confidence, Motivation and Access to Vaccines".

And local, state and federal efforts are ongoing, he said, aimed at addressing all three pieces.

"I know it has been a difficult year and that everyone in our country has been asked to step up and sacrifice in a big way," Murthy said.

“I want to make it clear that this pandemic will end.

The faster we get vaccinated, the faster that day will come.

Johnson & Johnson's hiatus 'casts a shadow' on vaccines

One factor that may have contributed to the slowdown in vaccines was the recommended pause in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, an expert said Saturday.

That recommendation was lifted last month and officials said the label would be updated to warn of the risks of blood clots.

Experts concluded that the benefits of the vaccine outweighed its "known and potential risks" and the vaccine continued to meet "standards for safety, efficacy and quality," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting FDA commissioner at the time.

But the recommendation to pause had its own effects.

Authorization to resume use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine 0:44

"The Johnson & Johnson hiatus cast a shadow over the momentum we had gained," said Dr. Jayne Morgan, clinical director of the Piedmont Healthcare Covid Task Force.

Two weeks after the recommended break for J&J was lifted, that vaccine represents a very small portion of the doses given in the U.S., and the current rate of administration lags far behind the pre-break rate, researchers show. CDC data.

Over seven days, J & J's vaccine accounted for about 3.5% of the total doses administered, according to data released Friday by the CDC.

CNN's Virginia Langmaid, Deidre McPhillips, Ralph Ellis, Jessica Firger, and Naomi Thomas contributed to this report.

Anthony Fauci