Sports stadiums without restrictions on how many fans can attend will be one of “the last things that you’re gonna see” in the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci told Yahoo Sports on Monday.
“We’re gonna be vaccinating the highest priority people [van] einde Desember tot Januarie, Februarie, Maart,” said Fauci, die direkteur van die Nasionale Instituut vir allergie en aansteeklike siektes. “By the time you get to the general public, die mense wat na die basketbalwedstryde gaan, wat geen onderliggende toestande het nie, dit begin einde April, Mei, Junie.
“So, it probably will be well into the end of the summer before you can really feel comfortable [met volledige sportstadions] — if a lot of people get vaccinated. Ek dink nie ons gaan so normaal wees in Julie nie. I think it probably would be by the end of the summer.”
Fauci’s comments come as the US is nearing the approval of two vaccines that early data suggests are both safe and highly effective in preventing symptomatic infections. Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday recommended that both health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities be first in line for any coronavirus vaccines, and other groups of people will follow in the coming months.
Op dieselfde tyd, the country has seen a devastating increase in new Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths. The ongoing pandemic has led local officials to issue sharp limits on large non-essential gatherings such as fan attendance at sports events.
Fauci said he thinks the possibility of full NBA arenas in July, when the NBA Finals is scheduled, sal wees “cutting it close.” When asked about full NFL stadiums in September, he said it’s “possible.”
In die onderhoud, Fauci also said that just having an effective vaccine won’t end the pandemic because the vaccine will have to be widely utilized before things get back to normal.
“We could get there by the end of the summer, and as we get into the fall of next year,” Fauci continued. Maar “as 50% of the people say, 'Jy weet, I don’t want to get vaccinated,’ then it’s gonna take considerably longer than that.”
In the Yahoo interview, Fauci pegged the percentage of the population that need to be vaccinated at “somewhere between 75 en 85 persentasie,” to return to normalcy.
Not hitting that threshold didn’t mean normalcy would never return, “it would just take longer,” Fauci told Yahoo Sports.
