Washington [US], November 30 (ANI): Dr Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert of the US, said on Sunday that there will almost certainly be an uptick in COVID-19 cases after Americans travelled for the Thanksgiving holiday despite warnings by public health officials, reported The Hill.

"The travel that has been done has been done," Fauci told a US news network.

"Having said that, we have to be careful now because there almost certainly is going to be an uptick because of what has happened with the travel....We understand the importance of families getting together. And it's just something that we have to deal with that we likely will have an increase in cases, as we get into the colder weeks of the winter, and as we approach the Christmas season," said Fauci.

He further urged travellers to be safe when returning home from holiday travels, and encouraged them to quarantine if possible and to get tested.

The Hill reported that the day before Thanksgiving, travel rates reached the highest they have been since March, with nearly 1.1 million passengers passing through airport security.

A week before Thanksgiving, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a recommendation against gathering for the holidays this year. Health experts have warned that the holidays could become a superspreader event if safety guidelines are not adhered to.

Fauci noted that the vaccine would likely be available for at-risk populations and health professionals around the middle or end of December, but pleaded them to continue to adhere to safety guidelines.

"The process of the development of this vaccine has been one that has been scientifically sound. safety has not been compromised, scientific integrity has not been compromised and the process of determining whether it works, whether it's safe and effective has been independent by independent bodies and transparent...We've got to get the community, the broad community of the United States to see that and appreciate that," said Fauci.

According to the latest update by the Johns Hopkins University, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the US stands at 13,251,540, along with 266,119 deaths. (ANI)