If you thought Dr. Anthony Fauci would quietly retire from the public spotlight after stepping down as the nation’s top Covid doctor, that turned out to be a false assumption.
While receiving an honorary degree from Siena university in Italy, Fauci warned that a new Covid variant could lead to another spike in cases.
Fauci emphasized that the world needed to remain vigilant in order to control and manage Covid. He warned of a Covid comeback, which he fears could quickly mutate into variants that current treatments and immunities can’t control.
“Great advances that science can do that you stick with data and facts because unfortunately, there’s a growing element of anti-science in society, not only in Italy, but in Europe and in the United States,” Fauci also said.
“And it’s very, very important that if we want to do positive things like the health of the nation and the health of the world, it’s important that one sticks with the science, the data, and the evidence,” he added. “And to avoid this anti-science or distortion of science or an acceptance of things that are not true, we need to push back and demand that we always speak the truth, and we always act on solid evidence and data.”
About 500 people, coming from each part of Italy, met in Siena to protest against awarding an honorary degree to Dr. Fauci. Protesters demonstrated at the Lizza gardens, far from the ‘canonization’ of the scientist, holding aloft banners and posters.
“Fauci no thanks go away” and “Fauci go home” were some of the posters that stood out. The protest was observed by law enforcement and there were no problems of public order.
Siena 17 giugno 23.
Fauci go home, Fauci VATTENE pic.twitter.com/AyP8uvPUZt— @dessere88fenice (@dessere88fenice) June 17, 2023
Currently, the dominant variant nationwide is XBB.1.5, with 39.9% of cases, followed by XBB.1.16, with 18.2% of cases, and XBB.1.9.1 with 12.5% of cases.
“The original omicron variant is gone now,” says Dr. Mark Rupp. “Currently subvariants of omicron are circulating, including XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16 and XBB.1.9.1.”
All 21 members of an advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously recommended on Thursday that COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming fall should be updated to target a specific coronavirus variant known as XBB, according to various online news sources.
Multiple reports indicate that the panel’s vote was focused on transitioning from the current bivalent vaccine, which addresses the original virus and variants BA.4 and BA.5, to a vaccine that specifically protects against XBB variants, which have become predominant in the United States.
The committee highlighted the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant as the primary target for the new vaccine, as reported by Reuters. Dr. Peter Marks, an FDA official, suggested that the agency is likely to select XBB.1.5, a choice that vaccine manufacturers believe could be available for inoculations in the near future.
Next week, an advisory committee meeting for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is scheduled to convene and determine the priority groups for receiving these updated shots and the timeline for distribution, as per NBC News.
As the U.S. presidential election approaches, millions of U.S. voters will remain on high alert for any unexpected Covid surges that would be used as an excuse for swing states to make unlawful changes to their voting procedures. Fauci’s warning may be taken as a sign that this scenario remains very much in play for 2024.