Fauci: Hospitals Overrun by COVID an ‘Entirely Preventable’ Tragedy

Chief White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut” that hospitals becoming overrun with COVID-19 patients is a tragedy that is entirely preventable with vaccination.

Anchor Joy Reid said, “Can you talk to the sort of crisis nature of what’s happening in hospitals right now? Hospital ICUs are overrun. There are places where there are no beds. What else can be said? There are people who are refusing to get vaccinated but who are willing to be treated with monoclonal antibodies, which are a newer technology when they get sick. What do you say to that and to these overrun hospitals?”

Fauci said, “Well, vaccines prevent getting infected, prevent getting sick, prevent your hospitalization. Monoclonal antibodies are a treatment after you do get infected. They’re very good, but I’d rather not get infected than get infected and have to be treated for it. What’s going on in hospitals that are becoming overrun is really a tragedy, Joy. We here in the United States have the tools to prevent this. What you’re seeing is entirely predictable if you don’t get people vaccinated and yet entirely preventible by vaccine. We’ve got to do a better job of reaching out to people, getting trusted messengers to convince people. That’s why it’s so important for their own health, for that of their family, and for the community to get vaccinated. We never ever should be in a position where people who belong in an ICU are being treated in a hallway in a gurney. That’s just unacceptable.”

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