Sunday shows preview: COVID-19 cases surge amid omicron wave

This week’s Sunday show circuit is expected to center on the surge of COVID-19 cases amid concerns the omicron variant will become the dominant strain in the U.S.

Leading infectious diseases doctor Anthony Fauci warned Thursday that omicron will become the dominant COVID-19 strain in upcoming weeks and has the potential to overwhelm hospitals.

The variant has already been reported in dozens of states despite early action by the Biden administration to restrict travel from southern African countries following the first detection of the strain in South Africa last month. 

On Wednesday, Fauci said the omicron variant “undoubtedly compromises the effects” of the initial two-dose regimen of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines and reiterated that Americans should get booster shots. Preliminary studies have found that the booster, in addition to the initial shots, provides strong protection against the variant.

Fauci will be on CNN’s “State of the Union,” NBC’s “Meet the Press” and ABC’s “This Week” Sunday.

National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins is also set to appear on multiple shows, CBS’s “Face the Nation” and “Fox News Sunday.”

Collins has previously said that vaccines were the “best way to protect yourself” against both delta and omicron, which had not yet been detected in the U.S. at the time of his comment.

President Biden has said his administration will focus on promoting booster shots for the coronavirus vaccine this winter and will not shut down the economy again during that time.

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis (Colo.), too, has signaled that he will not renew strict restrictions in his state. On Monday, the governor said he will not impose a statewide mask mandate, as the development of the vaccines was “the end of the medical emergency.”

“You don’t tell people to wear a jacket when they go out in winter and force them to,” Polis said. “If they get frostbite, it’s their own darn fault. If you haven’t been vaccinated, that’s your choice. I respect that. But it’s your fault when you’re in the hospital with COVID.”

Polis is scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. 

Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has said that despite the omicron variant, 2022 will be a “transition year” in the U.S., with the pandemic going into more of an “endemic phase.”

However, Gottlieb, who will appear on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, said the transition may happen later in the year than he previously expected due to omicron.

In addition to the omicron variant, the Sunday shows will likely feature discussion of Build Back Better Act, which was passed by the House in November and has not yet been voted on in the Senate.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a key vote on the climate and social spending package in the evenly divided Senate, has opposed some aspects of the bill. 

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) acknowledged Friday that negotiations between Manchin and the president over the contents of the bill will continue, signaling that it is unlikely to pass before the end of the year.

Manchin is set to appear on “Fox News Sunday.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), another key vote who has previously expressed reservations about provisions in the bill, were “two Democrats who, in my view, are kind of acting like Republicans.” 

“You’ve got two people saying, ‘You know what? Hey, if you don’t do it my way — I don’t care what the president wants. I don’t care what 48 of my colleagues want. It’s my way or the highway,'” he added.

Sanders will appear on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill)

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Fauci; Gov. Jared Polis (D-Colo.)

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health; Anne Milgram, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Hamdullah Mohib, former Afghan national security adviser; Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Fauci; Kinzinger; Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.); Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.); Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.)

“Fox News Sunday” — Collins; Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.); Gov. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.); Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md.)

FOX News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures — Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.); Former President Donald J. Trump; Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.)