Fauci Says Omicron Will 'Find Just About Everybody' & Most People Will Probably Be Exposed
He says the chances of getting sick are "very low" with vaccination.
Several U.S. health officials are warning people that given Omicron's high transmissibility, it's likely that everybody is going to catch it at some point.
The warning came during a hearing in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, where Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top experts all shared the same sentiment.
"I think it's hard to process what's actually happening right now, which is [that] most people are going to get COVID, all right?" Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said at the hearing.
According to Woodcock, the biggest priority is maintaining control over resources and essential services like hospitals and transportation while this massive surge occurs.
Fauci, the White House's top infectious disease expert, added his own commentary during a White House news briefing later in the day.
He said this does not necessarily mean that everyone will get sick from the Omicron variant, because infectious tend to be significantly less severe in those who are vaccinated and boosted.
However, he said the disease will likely get to everyone because of how highly transmissible it is.
"Virtually everybody is going to wind up getting exposed and likely get infected. But if you're vaccinated and if you're boosted, the chances of you getting sick are very, very low," said Dr. Fauci during the news briefing.
The variant is now estimated to be responsible for 98% of total COVID-19 cases in the United stated as reported by the CDC.
Dr. Fauci echoed Dr. Woodcock's sentiment during a fireside chat with the Center for Strategic International Studies.
"Omicron, with its extraordinary, unprecedented degree of efficiency of transmissibility, will, ultimately, find just about everybody," he said during the interview.
"Those who have been vaccinated and vaccinated and boosted would get exposed. Some, maybe a lot of them, will get infected but will very likely, with some exceptions, do reasonably well in the sense of not having hospitalization and death."
Fauci went on to highlight two important priorities moving forward: maintaining control over the virus and reducing the number of severe cases and deaths.
The CDC has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.