Fauci says prospect of open border for fully vaccinated Canadians part of active U.S. talks

U.S. President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci says the prospect of opening the U.S. border to fully vaccinated Canadians is part of an "active discussion" in the White House.

"I can tell you that the border situation and letting Canadians in who are fully vaccinated is an area of active discussion right now in the U.S. government," he told CBC News Network's Power & Politics in an exclusive Canadian interview.

"As a public health official, sometimes it's difficult to figure out why policies haven't changed."

Earlier this week, the U.S. government issued a renewal order keeping its borders with Canada and Mexico closed until August 21.

According to U.S. Homeland Security officials, the move is part of the government's efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 and the more contagious delta variant.

The delta variant has been wreaking havoc south of the border, where infections and hospitalizations are up in nearly all 50 states.

Fauci said the delta variant now accounts for 83 per cent of cases in the U.S. Those cases are concentrated in southern states, where vaccination rates are lower than the national average.

"In some of the southern states where the level of vaccination is very low and the level of the transmission of the virus is very high, we're seeing a significant surge in cases," Fauci said. 

"This virus has an extraordinary capability of efficiently spreading from person to person." 

The White House has enlisted the help of celebrities and athletes to encourage Americans to get vaccinated, particularly in states led by Republican governors. In recent days, high-profile conservative figures such as Fox pundit Sean Hannity have encouraged Americans to get vaccinated.

Fauci said the U.S. must increase its vaccination rate to end current outbreaks of COVID-19.  

"We're seeing some of them starting to come around, which is a really good thing, because we've got to realize and act on it, that the common enemy is the virus," he told Power & Politics.

"The virus doesn't have any idea who's a Republican or a Democrat or an Independent."