Fauci 'heartened' to see top Republicans encouraging vaccinations

Dr. Anthony Fauci Anthony FauciDemocrats question GOP shift on vaccines GOP Rep. Cawthorn says he wants to 'prosecute' Fauci The Hill's Morning Report - Pelosi considers adding GOP voices to Jan. 6 panel MORE, President Biden Joe BidenTrump hails Arizona Senate for audit at Phoenix rally, slams governor Republicans focus tax hike opposition on capital gains change Biden on hecklers: 'This is not a Trump rally. Let 'em holler' MORE’s chief medical adviser, said on Sunday that he was “heartened” to see a number of top Republican officials encouraging vaccinations.

Fauci, during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” singled out House Republican Whip Steve Scalise Stephen (Steve) Joseph ScaliseDemocrats question GOP shift on vaccines The Hill's Morning Report - Pelosi considers adding GOP voices to Jan. 6 panel McConnell pushes vaccines, but GOP muddles his message MORE (R-La.), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Ron DeSantisPoll: 73 percent of Democratic voters would consider voting for Biden in the 2024 primary Florida asks Supreme Court to block CDC's limits on cruise ship industry Noem to travel to South Carolina for early voting event MORE (R) and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson Asa HutchinsonArkansas governor says it's 'disappointing' vaccinations have become 'political' Sunday shows preview: Bipartisan infrastructure talks drag on; Democrats plow ahead with Jan. 6 probe Huckabee Sanders vows not to impose mask, vaccine mandates if elected governor of Arkansas MORE (R) for their recent remarks that supported vaccinations.

“I was very heartened to hear people like Steve Scalise come out and say, ‘Hey we need to get vaccinated.’ Even Gov. DeSantis right now in Florida is saying the same thing. We've got to get more people who relate well to the individuals who are not getting vaccinated to get out there and encourage them to get vaccinated as well as the trusted messengers in the community,” Fauci told host Jake Tapper Jacob (Jake) Paul TapperFive takeaways from the CPAC conference in Dallas Eric Adams to meet with Biden on curbing gun violence Israel offering third Pfizer dose to adults with weak immune systems MORE.

“It’s really an outbreak among the unvaccinated. So this is an issue, predominantly among the unvaccinated, which is the reason why we're out there practically pleading with the unvaccinated people to go out and get vaccinated. That's the reason why it's very heartening and positive to hear people like Gov. Asa Hutchinson and others to go out there in their own state and say, ‘Hey let's get vaccinated because that's really the solution to this,’” Fauci said at a separate point in the interview.

The U.S. has seen an increase in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, as the country’s vaccination rate holds steady. The rise in cases, which is being driven primarily by the highly infectious delta variant, have mainly occurred in those who have not been inoculated.

Fauci last week said more than 99 percent of the people who died from COVID-19 in June were not vaccinated. He also said the loss of life was “avoidable and preventable.”

A number of Republicans have become more vocal in encouraging vaccinations in recent weeks, as concerns rise regarding the newest surge and the delta variant.

Scalise last week announced that he ultimately decided to get vaccinated, saying in an interview that “especially with the delta variant becoming a lot more aggressive and seeing another spike, it was a good time to do it.”

“When you talk to people who run hospitals, in New Orleans or other states, 90 percent of people in hospital with delta variant have not been vaccinated. That’s another signal the vaccine works,” he added, according to Nola.com.

The Republican House whip said he received his first shot last Sunday.

DeSantis endorsed getting vaccinated last week, saying during a press conference that the shots “are saving lives."

"They are reducing mortality,” he added.

“If you look at the people that are being admitted to hospitals …. over 95 percent of them are either not fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all,” he said.

Hutchinson, meanwhile, called on his constituents to get inoculated last month, writing on Twitter, “The overwhelming majority of COVID patients in the hospital have not been vaccinated. These vaccines are effective, but we need more Arkansans to get the shot.”