Fauci: "Confident" Omicron cases will peak in February

NIAID director Anthony Fauci said Sunday he is "confident as you can be" that most states will reach a peak in Omicron coronavirus cases by mid-February.

Why it matters: Asked about the prospect on ABC's "This Week," Fauci said that while you "never want to be overconfident," the pattern of how Omicron cases peak in other countries suggests that the U.S. is headed in "the same direction."

• The NIAID director's comments come as the variant is still wreaking havoc in parts of the country. However, several experts have echoed Fauci's optimism regarding an approaching peak.
• Fauci also expressed hope that in the coming months, the U.S. will reach an "area of control" with the virus and its strains, adding that "we would like them not to be present, but they're there."

What they're saying: If "the pattern follows the trend that we're seeing in other places," Fauci told host Martha Raddatz, "I believe that you will start to see a turnaround throughout the entire country."

• "Since it's a large country and a great deal of variation in the degree of vaccinations that we have in one region compared to another, ultimately, they're all going to go in the same direction."
• "Things are looking good," he continued. "We don't want to get overconfident, but they look like they're going in the right direction right now."

Go deeper: The end of the Omicron wave is in sight