Fauci Warns Of 'Dark Time' For New Yorkers Amid Coronavirus Surge

NEW YORK CITY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo kicked off his resurrected regular coronavirus briefing with a special guest: native New Yorker, infectious disease expert and "America's doctor" Anthony Fauci.

Fauci on Monday punctuated his chummy chat with Cuomo with a stark warning for the state and New York City.

A surge of coronavirus cases from Thanksgiving, piled atop of Christmas, Hanukkah and other holidays, threatens to explode after the New Year, he said.

"Without substantial mitigation, the middle of January will be a very dark time for us," he said.

Mitigation means avoiding holiday travel and gatherings, Fauci said, reinforcing Cuomo's oft-repeated warnings about "living room spread" of coronavirus.

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Even the recommended 10-person limit for gatherings is likely to be too many, Fauci said.

Fauci, who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, provided Cuomo something of a guest star for the return to his regularly scheduled daily briefings.

Cuomo garnered attention and acclaim for his daily briefings about the coronavirus during the pandemic's early days. He officially stopped doing them daily after 111 days, but several times a week would still hold a conference, often announced at the last minute.

For day 282 on Monday, Cuomo began the first of daily briefings scheduled to unfold three days a week Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays.

This briefing largely consisted of Cuomo presenting New York's current strategies for dealing with the coronavirus, including the announcement that indoor dining in New York City could be 86'd if a surge in hospitalizations doesn't stabilize.

Cuomo then quizzed Fauci over holiday gatherings spreading the virus, when regular New Yorkers might expect a vaccine and the state's low infection rates relative to other states.

Fauci said New Yorkers without underlying health conditions or on the front line against the coronavirus could start receiving vaccines as soon as April.

Cuomo pitched Fauci on making a joint appearance in an ad encouraging their fellow New Yorkers to get vaccinated. They'd be a "modern day" Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, he joked.

He also asked Fauci what food from Fauci's home neighborhood of Bensonhurst he could send as a Christmas gift, at his brother Chris Cuomo's expense.

A Nathan's hot dog and a steaming pastrami sandwich, Fauci said, much to Cuomo's surprise.

"An Italian guy asks for a Nathan's hot dog and a pastrami sandwich," Cuomo said. "You can't figure out anything anymore."