COVID-19 Update: Fauci Says Cases Could Escalate Later This Year, Still In 'Uncharted Waters'

Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci expects COVID-19 infections to rise again shortly, and that a surge in the fall is also likely.

As nations throughout Europe recently experienced a surge in cases, particularly the United Kingdom, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases clarified that the United States typically suffers the same fate after a certain period of time.

“I would not be surprised if we see an uptick in cases,” Fauci said to Bloomberg. “Hopefully there is enough background immunity so that we don't wind up with a lot of hospitalizations."

At the moment, COVID infections haven't been lower since the summer of 2021, while hospitalizations are at an all-time low. As the Omicron relative BA.2 has shown to be more contagious than previous variants, Fauci believes that getting as many people vaccinated as possible is the best way to avoid a potential surge.

In a meeting Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration's head of vaccine safety Dr. Peter Marks said that in order for shots to be available this fall, in time for the predicted surge in cases, a decision regarding future doses needs to be made this June. Vaccine makers like Moderna and Pfizer are currently working to create variant-specific doses.

"These are uncharted waters for us with this virus," Fauci added. "That's the reason why the [FDA] and their advisory committee are meeting right now to plan a strategy, and we at the [National Institutes of Health] are doing studies now to determine what the best boost would be."