Dr. Anthony Fauci said it is possible that COVID-19 vaccines may be required to travel to other countries or attend school.
“Everything will be up for discussion,” Fauci, who will be President-elect Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, told Newsweek.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases stressed that it is’ not for me to make a decision ‘but added that’ these are all things that will be discussed [under the Biden administration]. “
“I’m not sure [the COVID-19 vaccine] will become mandatory from a central government standpoint, such as federal government mandates, ”Fauci said, adding that he is“ sure ”some individual institutions will need the shot.
Fauci said vaccine requirements in schools are “possible,” but they would come from state or city-level mandates.
“A city-wide school system may require it in some cities, but not in others. And that is what I mean by things that are not done centrally but locally, ”said Fauci.
Regarding travel, Fauci said the US could potentially issue COVID-19 vaccine passports – similar to the ones planned for Israel, which allow residents to travel abroad without being tested for coronavirus.
The coronavirus vaccine may also be required by other countries to go there, Fauci said.
So we, in this country, don’t need that [people] to get a yellow fever vaccine when you go somewhere. It’s the place you go that needs it, ”he said.
About 3.2 million initial doses of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines have been given to Americans since the vaccinations were first approved last month, according to a Bloomberg count.