Dr Anthony Fauci tells families ‘go out there and enjoy Halloween’

Top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has encouraged vaccinated families to “go out and enjoy” Halloween, even as Covid-19 concerns loom with the onset of winter.

In an interview with CNN on Sunday night, the chief medical advisor to US President Joe Biden said: “It’s a good time to reflect on why it’s important to get vaccinated.”

But go out there and enjoy Halloween,” he said.

He also added that the holiday is important for children. “This is a time that children love. It’s a very important part of the year for children,” he was quoted as saying by The New York Times.

He urged those who haven’t been vaccinated, to get the jab to protect the community. “If you’re not vaccinated then think about it, you can add another degree of protection to yourself and to the community,” Dr Fauci said.

However, with the holiday festivities including trick or treating and Halloween parades being held mostly outdoors, Dr Fauci said the risk of the virus spreading remains low.

According to NYT, around 6.7 million children between the ages of 12-15 years have been fully vaccinated since FDA authorised emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children in that age group. The FDA is also considering Pfizer and BioNTech’s proposal to approve their vaccine for the 5-11 years age group.

Despite his reassurances, Dr Fauci also cautioned that if enough people remain unvaccinated, especially with the onset of winter, the virus will continue to spread.

According to US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) data, 76% of the population above the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated. Cases and hospitalisations are also decreasing in the country after the surge fuelled by the Delta variant in the summer, especially among the unvaccinated in the Southern states.

According to a report in the Washington Post, weekly average cases plateaued in early September and are now slipping below the 100,000 mark, suggesting that the Delta variant is now ebbing.