Dr. Fauci says six-month-old babies could get shots by the end of the year and warns kids STILL have to wear masks playing with friends despite CDC advice vaccinated can ditch them

• e-mail

Dr Anthony Fauci said that six month-old babies could be getting vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the year.

In an interview on CNN, the nation's top infectious disease expert said many vaccine manufacturers are in the process of conducting trials in children.  

'From 12 to nine, nine to six, six to two and then six months to two years so that we will be able hopefully by the end of the year to be able to vaccinate children of any age,' Fauci said.

Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are both currently studying how well their vaccine works in children between ages six months and 11 years old, with some executives hypothesizing that emergency use could be expanded to younger kids by fall 2021.

In the appearance, Fauci also said that children will still have to wear masks - hours after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finally said fully vaccinated Americans can ditch face coverings indoors and outdoors. 

'I wouldn't go so far as to say [the pandemic] is essentially over,' adding: 'I think this is a very important step in the direction of trying to get back to some degree of normality.

'So, I wouldn't want to declare victory prematurely, but I'm saying this is clearly a step in the direction that we want to go.'

When explicitly asked if children needed to continue wearing masks to protect against COVID-19, Fauci recommended that they do.

'The children do when they are out there playing with their friends, particularly in an indoor situation, they do,' he said.

His recommendation comes even after a study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham released on Thursday found that nearly three-quarters of infected children will never develop typical COVID symptoms like fevers or coughs. 

Kids are also believed to not spread the virus as easily as adults. 

However, only 2.6 percent of under-18-year-olds have had at least one  COVID-19 vaccine dose and just 1.8 percent are fully vaccinated, CDC data show. 

Dr Anthony Fauci (right) gave his first interview since the mask guidance update on Thursday and told CNN he 'wouldn't want to declare victory prematurely' and it's not over

Fauci said kids should wear masks until they can get fully vaccinated. Pictured: Elizabeth Brauer (center) holds the hand of her son Luke Brauer, 13, before he receives a COVID-19 vaccination at the Fairfax Government Center vaccination clinic in Fairfax, Virginia

In an interview on NBC's TODAY on Friday, CDC director Dr Rochelle Walesnky echoed Fauci and even suggested that fully vaccinated parents continue to wear masks to model good behavior for their children 

'We still have all the children between the ages of 0 and 12 who aren't yet eligible for vaccine. We're working on it,' she told host Hoda Kotb.

'But they're not yet eligible for vaccine. And we will still ask them to wear a mask because they are not vaccinated, and to protect themselves and protect others. 

'And in fact, yes, parents, and perhaps even teachers, may want to continue wearing masks to model behavior for them. I should also say that people may want to continue wearing masks because we've been wearing masks for 15 months. It is going to be hard to let go of them. We should be able to do that in our own due time.'

Both Walensky and Fauci said that once children are vaccinated, it could be an option to let them go unmasked.   

Fauci also noted children as young as 12 are now eligible to get Pfizer's shot, telling host Jake Tapper: 'One of the things that is also important that has happened most recently is the approval of vaccines for children 12-15 years old. 

'And we are also doing studies now in an age de-escalation so that we will be able hopefully by the end of the year to be able to vaccinate children of any age. 

'Right now the 12 to 15 year old are eligible to get vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine. So that's another good news story.'  

Expanding eligibility, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the shot on Monday, means another 17 million Americans will be allowed to get vaccinated, which many see as a critical step  to reaching herd immunity.

The CDC's advisory committee recommended that Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine be administered to children ages 12 to 15 following FDA authorization on Monday. Pictured: A teenager receives a shot in a clinical trial of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

However, parents and health experts have been debating whether or not to give the vaccine to children, who make up only 0.1 percent of COVID fatalities.

Parents are split over whether to vaccinate their children - about 50/50, according to a recent Axios/Ipsos poll - and as the shots become available to younger teens and tweens, many are left conflicted and confused over whether U.S. health officials are saying their kids should or should not get inoculated against COVID-19.  

So far, Dr Fauci and most top health officials are united in saying that, although the risk for severe COVID-19 is small in younger kids, parents should be encouraged to vaccinate their children, but not required to do so. 

The CDC has already said in no uncertain terms that children can and should return to in-person school full-time, regardless of whether they or their teachers have been vaccinated. 

In the U.S., public schools in most states require students to be vaccinated against several diseases, including chickenpox, measles, tetanus and polio, with exemptions for children with certain medical conditions or allergies. 

However, these vaccines all have full FDA approval, rather than just emergency use authorization, and have been for decades.

So far, there have been no signs in trials or real-world data to suggest that Pfizer's vaccine poses any danger to children, but it is not yet fully approved, and likely won't be for months, if not years. 

Without that full seal of approval, it would be a tough sell for schools to try to require it, but the shot will likely be recommended by education officials. 

Until then, K-12 schools are unlikely to require the vaccine. 

To-date, 118.9 million Americans are fully vaccinated, accounting for 35.9 percent of the U.S. population, including more than 40 percent of all adults.

Cases are falling fast, down to a seven-day rolling average of about 38,000 or 11 infections per 100,000. 

Fully-vaccinated Americans can finally stop wearing their masks almost anywhere - indoors or outdoors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday

With the new guidance, Fauci echoed the comments for other health experts and said it is now important to get schools reopen 'full blast', adding that they should be five days a week and in person learning. 

'We really have to do that by the time we get to the fall,' he said.

Andrew Cuomo says New York is NOT yet ready to ditch the face masks - and California's Governor Newsom says the same

New York is not following Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) guidelines that say vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in most situations, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said late Thursday.

He said the state's mask mandate would remain in place for now. 

'In New York, we have always relied on the facts and the science to guide us throughout the worst of this pandemic and in our successful reopening,' Cuomo said. 

Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, is yet to lift the state's mask mandate

The CDC announced on Thursday that they were updating their guidelines, and people who were fully vaccinated no longer needed to wear masks indoors and out, under most circumstances. 

The White House can order face masks be worn on federal property, but elsewhere it is up to state governors to decide. 

In general, the American Constitution Society said, courts uphold states' rights to enforce their own face mask mandate or get rid of it, as they see fit.  

He said that he and the state's health commissioner, Dr Howard Zucker, were still assessing the new guidance.  

'We have received the newly revised guidance from the CDC regarding mask wearing and social distancing for those with vaccinations and are reviewing them in consultation with Dr Zucker and our partners and health experts in surrounding states,' Cuomo said.

He didn't say when the state might update its guidance. 

That means masks still are required in New York state when a person can't maintain six feet of social distance - even outside and even if the person is vaccinated. It's not clear if the rule will be enforced. 

California Gov Gavin Newsom issued a similar statement, even though people were seen on the streets of Los Angeles celebrating the end of the mask order and had apparently not gotten the message from their governor.

Their approach stands in contrast to the celebratory tone from the CDC and the White House. 

Advertisement

Asked if grocery stores and pharmacies should allow people in without masks, Fauci replied 'absolutely'. 

But he did acknowledge the judgement call on that for businesses will 'be a real difficult one.'

Fauci added: 'People feel very put upon if you're essentially judging them on the basis of whether they have been vaccinated.

'We want vaccinated – we want people to get vaccinated – as many people as we can possibly get vaccinated, but I think there's going to be a pushback against questioning somebody when they walk in, because you can never validate or prove that they're telling you the truth.'

However, the CDC's recommendation is just that - an unenforceable recommendation. 

States, cities and businesses can still require masks. 

'The problem they're going to find, Jake, from a public health standpoint, since you can't completely validate that someone's vaccinated except depending upon them telling you that, if you drop the mask mandate, then you might have an increase in infection among those who are not vaccinated,' Fauci said.

'So that's the kind of dicey situation that you're in when you're trying to deal about policy at the local level when you have a high degree of transmission. That's not an easy decision to make.'

Those who have finished their shot regimen can now go out to eat, see a movie, shake hands and give hugs at will, according to the new guidance.  

The new guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but could ease restrictions for reopening workplaces and schools. 

People who are fully vaccinated but immunocompromised people may still be advised by their doctors to keep masking. 

Even President Joe Biden - along with several lawmakers meeting him to discuss infrastructure in the Oval Office - stripped off his mask upon the news, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a Democrat from New York, told the Guardian. 

The office of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said its health department is reviewing the new guidelines, but has not issued an official update. 

Equinox Gym notified members Thursday afternoon that masks are still required while working out at its New York gyms. 

The White House officially lifted its mandate requiring masks on the premise, allowing staffers and journalists on Thursday to uncover their faces on for the first time since Biden took office.  

'Today is a great day for America,' Biden said in an afternoon press conference, as he declared the new guidance a 'great milestone.'  

The ability for vaccinated Americans to unmask comes as a product of enough people being vaccinated to start to peel back other measures to slow the spread of COVID-19.  

As vaccination has become widespread, scientists in the U.S. - and especially in Israel - have had a chance to see real-world proof that the shots prevent almost all transmission. 

What's more, as vaccination rates have risen, President Biden noted that average daily COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have fallen to their lowest level since April 2020 - just after the pandemic took hold in the U.S. - falling to anoit 586 a day, according to CDC data.  

'Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in activities indoors or outdoors, large or small, without physical distancing,' announced CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky during a Friday White House press briefing, she said, praising the rapid vaccination effort for allowing masks to come off, and Covid cases to stay down. 

To-date, more than 118 million Americans are fully vaccinated, accounting for just over a third of the U.S. population, and 45 percent of adults have had at least one dose

The Biden administration have faced pressure to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated people - people who are two weeks past their last required COVID-19 vaccine dose - in part to highlight the benefits of getting the shot. 

The CDC's new guidance also comes two weeks after the agency recommended that fully vaccinated people continue to wear masks indoors in all settings and outdoors in large crowds 

 America unmasks: Joe and Kamala take all the credit as they finally announce it's time to ditch the masks, shake hands and even HUG each other if you've had your shots

President Joe Biden told Americans who have their full COVID vaccine to remove their face masks and his wife Jill, visiting West Virginia, did just that.

'If you're fully vaccinated, take your mask off. You've earned the right to do something that Americans are known for all around the world, greeting others with a smile,' President Biden said during remarks in the White House Rose Garden. 

And a maskless first lady was all smiles when she stepped off her plane in Charleston, W. Va., on Thursday, one of the first to appear in public without a face covering after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced their new guidelines. 

Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden go without their face masks in the Rose Garden of the White House after new CDC guidelines were announced

Actress Jennifer Garner greeted Dr. Biden. She had a face mask on but took hers off when she saw the situation. 

The mood was jovial with the maskless duo chatting excitingly on the tarmac. 

Back at the White House, President Biden took the credit for bringing the virus under control.

He said: 'I think it's a great milestone, a great day. It's been made possible by the extraordinary success we have had in vaccinating so many Americans, so quickly. 

'Over the past 114 days, our vaccination program has led the world and that's due to the incredible hard work of so many people.

'The scientists and researchers, the drug companies, the National Guard, the US Military, FEMA, the nation's governors, doctors, nurses, pharmacists. Everyone who has moved heaven and Earth to get as many shots in  

President Biden tempered his delight at the new rules with words of caution. 

'We've gotten this far. Please protect yourself until you get to the finish line. Because as great as this announcement is today. We don't want to let up,' he said.

'The rule is very simple. Get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do is vaccinated,' he added.

He also noted there would be no enforcement, addressing concerns of some they may have to prove their vaccinated status.   

'We're not going to go out and arrest people,' Biden said. 'If you've been vaccinated you don't wear your mask, and they can shake hands and give each other a hug. But if you've not been vaccinated. Please wear a mask. Please wear the mask.'

On Thursday the CDC announced that most fully-vaccinated Americans can stop wearing their masks almost anywhere - indoors or outdoors.

The new guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters but is meant to help get vaccinated Americans back to their normal lives.

The Biden administration faced pressure to ease up on restrictions as more than 108 million Americans have been fully vaccinated. It's also hoped the new guidelines will coax those reluctant to get their second dose or to get inoculated at all to get the vaccine. 

White House aides were in the Rose Garden maskless, including chief of staff Ron Klain, senior adviser Anita Dunn, and press secretary Jen Psaki. 

Other White House staff tweeted their excitement at being able to see colleagues without a face covering.

And Vice President Kamala Harris, standing out in the Rose Garden without a mask, greeted the president upon his arrival with: 'You've got a great smile.' 

Thursday started out like the past 15 months have gone. President Biden wore a face mask in the Oval Office when he met with Republican senators on infrastructure.

Jill Biden, dressed in a white dress with a pink blazer over it, wore a pink face mask mask when she departed Washington D.C. earlier in the day.

But she was happy to remove it.  

'We feel naked,' the first lady said about not wearing one. Then she paused. 'I didn't mean it that way!' 

She also joked she learned about the new rule during the flight - and after she had bought a mask that matched her outfit.

'We just learned as we got off the plane,' she said of new mask guidance. 'And here I had gone out to buy one that was coordinated with my outfit so you can't win.'  

But the first lady was gleeful about the chance to go maskless.

'Now, the clouds are finally breaking. Spring's more beautiful than ever. And the best is yet to come,' she said. 'Let's have some fun.'

Garner, meanwhile, revealed two of her three kids with actor Ben Affleck will get vaccinated on Friday. Children 12 and older can receive the Pfizer vaccine, according to CDC guidelines. There are about 17 million children between the ages of 12 and 15 in the United States, which is about 5 percent of the population.

'I am thrilled to be vaccinating, two of my three kids on Tuesday,' she said. 'I don't even know if they know it yet.'

Garner, who had her parents with her, praised the Biden administration for being able to go maskless.

‘It's so exciting I kind of can't believe that I'm standing here without a mask on looking at maskless faces, and we owe that to President Biden,’ Garner said.

‘Biden said he would get us vaccinated. Boy, did he mean it,' she added.

Garner, a West Virginia native, served on the board of Save the Children with Dr. Jill Biden and campaigned for Joe Biden during the 2020 campaign. 

She and Biden spent several minutes talking animatedly at the airport - waving their hands at each other - before posing for a round of photos.  Two local students gave each woman a bouquet of flowers.

Mark Shriver, the president of Save the Children Action Network, an organization that provides resources to low-income families, also was at the airport. Jill Biden gave him an elbow bump.

Biden also was accompanied by Democratic Senator Joe Manchin and his wife, Gayle as the White House woos the West Virginia senator on its legislative agenda.

The East Wing invited Manchin because it is his home state, and he accepted the invitation, according to Jill Biden spokesman Michael LaRosa. 

The group went to Capital High to visit a vaccination clinic for students age 12 - 15, where a group of junior ROTC officers greeted them upon their arrival.

'I know you just want to see Jennifer Garner,' Biden joked with them.

'They've seen me their whole lives!' 'Garner exclaimed. 'Thank you for your service, kids.'

At the vaccination clinic in the school gym, Biden held the hand of a teenager getting vaccinated, and then asked the girl if she knows Garner. 

'Yes I love all of your movies,' the girl said. Garner congratulated her on getting vaccinated, and spent several minutes talking with her. 

Manchin touted the new guidelines and what they mean for his state during the stop. 

'You've all seen the latest from the CDC? That means no masks inside or outside,' Manchin said.

He said 'it means get vaccinated. We feel free!'

Actress Jennifer Garner greets first lady Jill Biden in Charleston, W.Va.; the two women followed new CDC guidelines and went maskless

Garner also teased Manchin about his moderate reputation in the Senate where he has voted with both Democrats and Republicans.

'We have a lot of work ahead to get everyone to get COVID crushed and to get our little kids in school ready to learn. I'm looking forward to working with Republicans, Democrats, and even Senator Manchin,'  she said. 'I'm teasing you. That's a little Manchin joke.'

And Jill Biden thanked him and his wife Gayle for their friendship to the Bidens.

'Senator Manchin, you know you've been a champion for West Virginia, and you've always found ways to bring people together, and your integrity and commitment to this state is steadfast. And Joe and I are so grateful to you and to Gayle for the friendship that we built over - I don't even know how many years it's been, but it's been a long time. So thank you very much,' she said. 

Manchin, a moderate senator, is a key vote for Democrats in the 50-50 Senate. President Joe Biden will need his support on his two massive legislative packages - his $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan - with its focus on infrastructure - and his $1.8 trillion American Families Plan with its focus on social programs.

He told reporters in West Virginia that 'the president and I had a very very good meeting' at the White House on Monday. He said that the amount of the infrastructure package was not his main issue.

'We're gonna find out what the needs are,' he said.