WASHINGTON — The holiday season is approaching and, with it, a fresh round of pandemic-related anxiety. After two years of living cautiously, many Americans are ready to live normally again, which in the coming weeks might mean watching Thanksgiving Day football on the couch with distant cousins or attending an office Christmas party — and this time, not on Zoom.

But with the coronavirus continuing to infect more than 70,000 people per day, and with more than 1,000 daily COVID-19 fatalities, the pandemic will be the uninvited guest looming over celebrations.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s top medical adviser, addressed this tension in virtual remarks at the Bipartisan Policy Center on