It's possible Americans will still need masks in 2022, says Dr Fauci

Chief Medical Advisor to the US President, Anthony Fauci on Sunday (local time) said that it's "possible" Americans will still need to wear masks in 2022 to protect against the coronavirus, even as the US may reach "a significant degree of normality" by the end of this year.

"You know, I think it is possible that that's the case and, again, it really depends on what you mean by normality," CNN quoted Fauci as saying.

The comments from Fauci come as the United States continues to remain the worst affected due to COVID-19.

Fauci further said that while he can't predict when the US might return to operating as it did before the pandemic, he thinks that by the end of this year "we're going to have a significant degree of normality beyond the terrible burden that all of us have been through over the last year."

"As we get into the fall and the winter, by the end of the year, I agree with (US President Joe Biden) completely that we will be approaching a degree of normality," said Fauci.

Citing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CNN reported that mask-wearing is critical to slowing the spread of the virus.

CNN further reported that the Biden administration has been pushing mask-wearing more aggressively than the Trump administration did, with the President signing an executive order last month mandating interstate travelers wear a mask and requiring masks on federal property. Biden also challenged Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his presidency to reduce the spread of the virus.

( With inputs from ANI )