Fauci says U.S. coronavirus infections may be plateauing, vaccines should protect against new variants

FILE PHOTO: Anthony Fauci, MD, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, testifies during a U.S. Senate Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Hearing to examine COVID-19, focusing on an update on the federal response at the U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C., U.S., September 23, 2020. Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said on Thursday that based on recent seven-day averages, coronavirus infections may be about to hit a plateau in the United States.

COVID-19 has spiraled out of control for months in the United States even with a massive vaccination campaign underway. The U.S. death toll has exceeded 400,000.