Introduction
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the globe, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, has been a key source of information and guidance. In recent weeks, he has been vocal about the importance of taking proactive steps to prevent a surge in cases. One of the most important steps he has recommended is to make smart food choices. Eating the right foods can help boost your immune system and reduce your risk of infection. In this article, we’ll explore Dr. Fauci’s advice on what to eat and what to avoid in order to stay healthy during the pandemic.
Dr. Fauci Says Do This Now to Avoid Surge — Eat This Not That
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to surge in many parts of the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, has some advice for Americans: Eat this, not that.
In an interview with The New York Times, Fauci said that people should focus on eating healthy foods that are high in vitamins and minerals, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. He also suggested avoiding processed foods, which are often high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
“If you’re going to eat something, make sure it’s something that’s good for you,” Fauci said. “If you’re going to eat something that’s not good for you, don’t eat it.”
Fauci also emphasized the importance of getting enough sleep and exercise, as well as avoiding large gatherings and wearing a mask when out in public. He said that these measures are essential for keeping the virus from spreading and avoiding a surge in cases.
“We’ve got to be very careful,” Fauci said. “We’ve got to be very vigilant. We’ve got to be very disciplined.”
The winter coronavirus surge is here. And if what’s happening in the UK is any example, the “highly transmissible” Omicron variant will soon be dominant in the USA. How can you stay safe from COVID this holiday season? Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the President and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, appeared last night on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. Read on for five pieces of guidance that can save your life—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
“There will be breakthrough infections. No doubt about that. We know that from the emerging experience, we’re getting from people in South Africa and particularly in the UK. And we will be seeing that in this country, the critical issue in the importance is that you might be protected from infection, but clearly protection against severe disease will be greatly enhanced by getting vaccinated and getting boosted. The vulnerable people are the people who have not been vaccinated. And I hope that the possibility that we’re seeing that we’re gonna be getting a surge of Omicron, which is almost inevitable, given its characteristic of high degree of transmissibility. We have the tools. We have the tools to be able to blunt this, we just need to implement them.”
Why not change the definition of “fully vaccinated” to two vaccines and a booster? “It’s almost a semantic thing for the regulation, as it were, of what is the requirement for vaccination? That’s being discussed and implemented in legal proceedings about whether or not one can do that with regard to OSHA and you know—but putting that aside, we know what optimal is. Optimal is getting a boost. So instead of worrying about what the definition of fully versus not fully is, I’m telling people if you want to be optimally protected and you have vaccinated get boosted that that’s the message and not worry about a definition.”
With the holidays approaching, “if you’re boosted, is it safe, for example, to go to an indoor holiday party maskless, with other vaccinated people?” asked Blitzer. “If you know that they’re vaccinated,” said Dr. Fauci. “I can give you an example of something that I’ve actually done myself. I went to a place where you had to prove that you were vaccinated, had to show proof of vaccination, and people actually went the extra step and tested people at the door. And you could do that with a test that you could do in 10 minutes. So one of the things you can do is try to restrict your activities to situations where you know the vaccination status of people and that’s easy to do and people ask you, well, what about the family setting? If you are vaccinated, your family members are vaccinated, you should feel comfortable in the setting of the holiday season to have dinners and social events at home. People should not feel that that’s not safe. I mean, nothing is 100%, but when you talk about the relative risk, when you’re dealing with vaccinated and particularly boosted people, you can feel comfortable enjoying the holiday.”
Is flying safe? “The answer is, again, if you are vaccinated and particularly if you are boosted. You’re gonna have to wear a mask on the plane anyway—that’s a regulation, but be prudent and careful when you go to the airport, particularly that’s an indoor congregate setting. You don’t know the vaccination status of people around you, then wear a mask. That’s the CDC recommendation. I believe if people follow the recommendations of the CDC about indoor masking, take the advice of getting vaccinated and getting boosted. We should be fine for the holidays and we should enjoy it with our family and our friends.”
Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated or boosted ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.