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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 4 January 2021

Fauci: Vaccinations are ramping up in a `glimmer of hope’

By GARY D. ROBERTSON tributed to clinics, hospitals
Associated Press and other places where
The U.S. ramped up CO- they will be administered,
VID-19 vaccinations in the according to Fauci.
past few days after a slow- The 20 million-dose goal
er-than-expected start, hasn't been reached in
bringing the number of part because local health
shots dispensed to about 4 departments and medi-
million, government health cal facilities had to stay fo-
officials said Sunday. cused on testing to handle
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the na- a surge in cases, U.S. Sur-
tion's top infectious-disease geon General Jerome Ad-
expert, also said on ABC's ams said. And the holiday
"This Week" that President- season meant health work-
elect Joe Biden's pledge ers were taking time off, he
to administer 100 million said.
shots of the vaccine within "I don't want anyone to
his first 100 days in office is think I'm being Pollyannish
achievable. here. There's what we de-
And he rejected President livered, and we hope that
Donald Trump's false claim those will be translated
on Twitter that coronavirus into vaccinations. That has
deaths and cases in the not occurred to the way
U.S. have been greatly ex- A woman receives a coronavirus vaccine from medical staff at a COVID-19 vaccination center in that we would like," Adams
aggerated. Ramat Gan, Israel, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. said on CNN's "State of the
"All you need to do ... is go Associated Press Union."
into the trenches, go into cording to data compiled Garcetti said the pan- Experts believe that the On Sunday morning, Trump
the hospitals, go into the in- by Johns Hopkins University, demic is getting worse in real numbers of U.S. deaths falsely tweeted that the
tensive care units and see while more than 20 million his city as the virus spreads and infections are much outbreak has been "far
what is happening. Those people nationwide have rapidly within households higher and that many exaggerated" because
are real numbers, real peo- been infected. States have and people let their guard cases were overlooked, in of the Centers for Disease
ple and real deaths," Fauci reported record numbers down with news of a vac- part because of insufficient Control and Prevention's "ri-
said on NBC's "Meet the of cases over the past few cine's arrival. "This is a virus testing. Fauci said he has diculous" methodology. He
Press." days, and funeral homes in that preys off of our weak- seen "some little glimmer of complained, too, that Fau-
The U.S. death toll has Southern California are be- ness, preys off of our ex- hope" after 1.5 million dos- ci has been credited by
climbed past 350,000, the ing inundated with bodies. haustion," he said on CBS' es were administered in the the news media with doing
most of any country, ac- Los Angeles Mayor Eric "Face the Nation." previous 72 hours, or an av- "an incredible job" when
erage of about 500,000 per Fauci "works for me and
day, a marked increase in the Trump Administration,
vaccinations. He said that and I am in no way given
brings the total to about 4 any credit for my work."
million. Fauci and others are warn-
He acknowledged the U.S. ing that an additional surge
fell short of its goal of hav- is likely because of holiday
ing 20 million doses shipped gatherings and the cold
and distributed by the end weather keeping people
of December. indoors.
"There have been a couple "It could and likely will get
of glitches. That's under- worse in the next couple of
standable," Fauci said. "We weeks, or at least maintain
are not where we want to this very terribly high level
be, there's no doubt about of infections and deaths
that." that we're seeing," Fauci
But he expressed optimism said.
that the momentum will Arizona on Sunday report-
pick up by mid-January ed a one-day record of
and that ultimately the U.S. more than 17,200 new cas-
will be vaccinating 1 million es, eclipsing the previous
people a day. Biden's "goal mark of about 12,000 set
of vaccinating 100 million in early December. Health
people in the first 100 days officials said the jump ap-
is a realistic goal," Fauci pears to reflect infections
said. from Christmas gatherings
Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the chief but was also probably in-
science adviser to Opera- flated by a reporting lag
tion Warp Speed, the gov- over New Year's weekend.
ernment's vaccine devel- North Carolina and Texas
opment and distribution reported record numbers
effort, told CBS that 17.5 of people in the hospital
million doses have been with COVID-19 — nearly
shipped. About 13 million 3,600 and over 12,500,
of those have been dis- respectively..q