Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top government expert on epidemiology, has been absent from TV for over two weeks, while the White House is pushing its plan to reopen the economy.
Last time Fauci granted an interview, on May 4, he spoke to CNN news anchor Chris Cuomo about the threats posed by COVID-19 throughout a phased reopening.
The chairman of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases also spoke out against President Donald Trump‘s decision to reopen schools in the fall. Fauci warned that premature reopenings may result in “needless death and suffering.”
Trump disregarded his advice, claiming that the doctor’s plan was “not an acceptable answer” and that since students are young and in good health, their risk of dying from COVID-19 is lower. Trump also added that sporadic incidents due to COVID-19 might still happen, comparing them to car accidents, but that it would not be worth closing all schools.
Since the White House initiated its phased reopening, Dr. Fauci stopped granting interviews. Even when Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical manufacturer Moderna announced its promising findings of an early vaccine, the doctor did not release any comments publicly.
Fauci appeared at the Trump administration’s press briefing on “Operation Warp Speed,” a White House public-private plan to implement and distribute a vaccine. However, he was seen behind the president, wearing a mask and refraining from making any comments.
The president has stopped holding news conferences on a daily basis, as he did at the beginning of the outbreak, and has spoken mostly about the country’s gradual reopening.
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