Dr. Anthony Fauci says people may want to consider asking holiday party guests to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status.
During an interview with The Washington Post on Wednesday, Fauci said that Americans can “feel comfortable” when they “have a vaccinated group” in an indoor setting.
“You can enjoy, as we have traditionally over the years, dinners and gatherings within the home with people who are vaccinated,” he said.
He continued, “And that’s the reason why people should, if they invite people over their home, essentially ask and maybe require that people show evidence that they are vaccinated, or give their honest and good faith word that they have been vaccinated.”
Watch the video below:
Dr. Anthony Fauci on holiday gathering COVID mitigation recommendations:
— The Recount (@therecount) December 9, 2021
“People should … essentially ask, and maybe require, that people show evidence that they are vaccinated.” pic.twitter.com/LB56WWge9f
The infectious disease expert continued, “So, [being] vaccinated puts you in a much different position than the extreme vulnerability of people who are not vaccinated, because all you have to do is look at the data and look at those areas of the country, those states, those communities that are under-vaccinated, there’s no doubt they have a much higher degree of infection, a much higher degree of hospitalization, and a much higher degree of death. “
“The data are really quite obvious; they’re incontrovertible. That’s the reason why we essentially plead with people to get vaccinated,” he added.
Fauci’s comments come as the number of new infections is on the rise. According to The New York Times, the country is adding an average of 121,311 new cases per day, a 27% increase from the previous 14-day average.
Additionally, 60% of all Americans are fully vaccinated against the virus. Among Americans ages 12 and up, 70% are fully vaccinated.
Fauci has previously said that fully vaccinated Americans have “no reason not to” gather for holiday dinners.
“If you get vaccinated, and your family’s vaccinated, you can feel good about enjoying a typical Thanksgiving, Christmas with your family and close friends,” he told the Bipartisan Policy Center in November.