Erin Banco

A series of comments by top officials, including Dr. Fauci, have muddied the discussion not just on school reopenings but on COVID vaccinations, underscoring a Biden team dilemma.

“I know all too well,” he said, appearing to keep back tears.

Health officials worry the fallout from this week’s brutal deep freeze will drive COVID infections up when it looked like the country was just starting to make progress.

“We don’t know how long this is going to go on.”

As lethal new U.K. and South African strains gain ground and threaten to again drive up case numbers, the CDC is enlisting top institutions for help on surveillance.

Over granola bars and other snacks at the Jan. 5 meeting, participants discussed the extent to which states were “failing in their vaccine rollout,” one attendee said.

Federal health officials announced a detailed set of guidelines for reopening schools, adding that vaccinations for teachers should be seen as an “additional layer of protection.”

The CDC says more than 463,000 Americans have died from the virus. But the real number is likely higher—and analyzing “excess deaths” over the past year may be the key.

Dr. Fauci is still “cautiously optimistic” that life can return to normal by the beginning of the fall. But others worry that we may not get there until the early winter.

Similar partnerships between big pharma companies have already been struck in Europe.