--- title: "Dr. Fauci Says That Santa Claus Is Immune to COVID" description: "As health officials are strongly advising against traveling to see loved ones for Thanksgiving next week, this year’s holiday seasons aren’t going to be tough. But there’s one glimmer of hope: COVID-19 won’t stop Santa from visiting millions of homes. “Santa is exempt from this because Santa, of all the good qualities, has a lot […]" date: "2020-11-21" modified: "2020-11-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/fauci-santa-claus-immune-covid" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "anthony fauci" - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "fauci" - "santa" - "santa claus" --- # Dr. Fauci Says That Santa Claus Is Immune to COVID !["Santa is exempt from this because Santa, of all the good qualities, has a lot of good innate immunity," infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said.]() *\Image: Ariel Angel Photography via Pxhere\* With health officials [strongly advising]() against traveling to see loved ones for Thanksgiving next week, this year's holiday season is shaping up to be either lonely or dangerous. But there's one glimmer of hope: COVID-19 won't stop Santa from visiting millions of homes. "Santa is exempt from this because Santa, of all the good qualities, has a lot of good innate immunity," top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci [told *USA Today*](). "Santa is not going to be spreading any infections to anybody," he added, despite Santa being at high risk due "his global travels, obesity issues and history of smoking," as the [*New York Post* put it]() rather bluntly. Christmas will look [strikingly different this year](). Santa stand-ins across the nation are taking video calls, protecting themselves behind plexiglass barriers at malls — or even choosing to appear in artificial intelligence form via [AskSanta.com](). Despite Old Saint Nick's immunity, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Peter Hotez told USA Today that Santa should still get his COVID-19 vaccine once it becomes available. "I hear the ventilation in Santa’s workshop is not the best, and opening windows in North Pole winters problematic," he told the news outlet. "The good news is that mask compliance there is pretty good, and the elves are committed to social distancing. Mrs. Claus has implemented a program of regular testing and the reindeers now lead contact tracing." ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()