NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, January 21, 2021.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
Anthony Fauci on Tuesday will give what is believed to be his last public press conference on the Covid-19 pandemic as chief medical adviser to the White House.
Fauci stated earlier this year that he will resign in December after serving as the public face of the US coronavirus pandemic response for more than two years.
He will be giving an update alongside Dr Ashish Jha, the head of the White House Covid task force. They are expected to encourage people to get Covid boosters and flu shots as soon as possible.
Public health officials have repeatedly warned that the United States will likely face another wave of Covid this winter as people travel and congregate over the holiday season.
The new booster, targeting the omicron variant BA.5, was quickly deployed in an attempt to prevent a major surge. But only about 11% of those eligible have been injected so far.
The United States has faced a severe flu season, with the highest number of hospitalizations in a decade.
And respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is also sending children to the hospital at much higher rates than in pre-pandemic seasons.
Hospitals and emergency departments are increasingly taxed by those seeking treatment for respiratory illnesses.
Children’s hospitals last week appealed to the Biden administration declare a public health emergency to provide more flexibility to address patient growth.
