Adm. Brett Giroir, former US President Doanld Trump’s coronavirus testing czar, has said that it is “just a matter of time” before all unvaccinated Americans become infected with the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
In an interview on Fox News’ “America Reports,” the ex-Trump official called on anyone who has not yet gotten vaccinated against COVID-19 to quickly do so.
He stated that the potential side effects of the coronavirus vaccine “pale in comparison to what you will get if you get the COVID infection,” adding that the highly transmissible Delta variant poses an even greater risk.
“If you have not been vaccinated, and you have not had COVID before, you will get the Delta variant,” Giroir argued. “This is so infectious that you will get it.”
He said that a previous COVID-19 infection may provide some natural immunity, but “the evidence is mounting that even natural immunity will not protect you against Delta.”
“It is just a matter of time,” he argued. “Remember, you can get the flu every year. It’s not because your immunity isn’t good, it’s because the flu changes and Delta is really a new strain that is different than everything we’ve seen.”
“So, I am really concerned that natural immunity, although real, is not going to be sufficient against delta,” Giroir continued. “If you don’t have natural immunity and you’re not vaccinated, you’re going to get delta. So, prevent it by getting your vaccine.”
The United States reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in the world in the last week, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Amid a surge of COVID cases fuelled by the Delta variant, the US reported 500,332 new cases for the week which ended on July 25, according to WHO. The country saw a 131-percent increase in new infections compared with the week before.
According to WHO, the US was followed by Brazil, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and India.
New infections were up by 8 percent in the world, with more than 3.8 million new cases.