WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe will host a “virtual community conversation” with the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci this month.
The virtual conversation was open to the public and scheduled for Thursday, February 18 at 3 p.m.
The event was previously set for late January, but was postponed due to a conflict Dr. Fauci’s schedule.
Topics for the conversation included the science driving decision-making around COVID-19, lessons learned, vaccinations and other pressing matters related to the pandemic.
Fauci reminded students that at this point, they could still be infected with the coronavirus — even after being vaccinated.
Fauci also explained that what makes the vaccine successful is its ability to keep people from getting as sick when infected.
He says that is what will lead to herd immunity.
“The degree of infection in the community is so low because the virus has no place to go because most of the people are already vaccinated,” Fauci saidl. “That is what is called herd immunity. However, you can start to see a dramatic diminution in the number of cases, based on early results of vaccines.”
Fauci said his main concern is not knowing how the variants could impact vaccine effectiveness.
Rowe launched the community conversation series last March to address questions about how the university is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the series has featured faculty, staff, students and alumni discussing the ways in which the pandemic has transformed their lives – with topics ranging from managing mental health and wellness to deep data dives into the science behind the university’s decisions.
Fauci was the first guest from outside the W&M community to appear in the series and will be volunteering his time at no cost.
