Fauci on the BA.2 variant
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 23 March 2022
⏱️ 25 minutes
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Summary
Today, what we know about the BA.2 coronavirus variant and whether the United States is prepared for a possible rise in cases. Plus, why the war in Ukraine has had an unexpected impact on sushi prices in Japan.
Read more:
The BA.2 variant is now the most common variant among new coronavirus cases in the United States. And while experts say it’s unlikely to lead to a big surge, dropped mask mandates across the country could lead to more spread. Meanwhile, the federal government is running out of money for booster shots and other covid responses. Health policy reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb brings us the latest from Anthony S. Fauci on the new variant and the government response.
Thousands of miles away from Ukraine, people in Japan are experiencing a trickle down effect of the war: a spike in sushi prices. That’s because a lot of the cheap fish eaten in Japan actually comes from Russia. The Japanese government had imposed sanctions on that fish – but the effects on local markets are looking too severe to bear. Tokyo bureau chief Michelle Ye Hee Lee explains how these seemingly distant markets are actually closely intertwined.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Dr. Fauci, welcome back to Washington Post Live. |
| 0:05.2 | Thank you very much, Yasmeen, good to be with you. |
| 0:09.9 | That's Health Policy Reporter Yasmeen Abu Talib, speaking with the president's chief medical |
| 0:14.4 | advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci. |
| 0:17.3 | He's the guy that we have seen on our TVs nonstop for the last couple of years. |
| 0:22.1 | And right off the bat, I asked him about whether he's expecting the U.S. to experience the |
| 0:27.1 | same uptick and infections that we're seeing in parts of Asia and Europe right now that's |
| 0:32.8 | driven mostly by a variant of Omicron that has been called BA2. |
| 0:38.8 | That BA2 variant, it's already here. |
| 0:41.9 | But that doesn't mean we're going to see another surge. |
| 0:45.2 | Or are we? |
| 0:46.3 | If we are going to see an uptick, we should start seeing it within the next week or so. |
| 0:52.1 | From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports. |
| 0:55.6 | I'm Alexis D.O. in from Martin Powers. |
| 0:58.5 | It's Wednesday, March 23rd. |
| 1:00.7 | Today, the BA2 COVID variant, what we know about it and why the U.S. government might not |
| 1:08.3 | be prepared. |
| 1:09.7 | Plus, how even sushi makers in Japan are feeling the impacts of the war in Ukraine. |
| 1:19.7 | But first, let's talk about this new variant. |
| 1:22.5 | I asked, yes, me and what did Dr. Fauci say about BA2? |
| 1:27.0 | And should we be bracing ourselves for another surge? |
| 1:29.6 | Well, Dr. Fauci said that the U.S. is typically always about three weeks behind the United |
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