Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical advisor, speaks during a briefing on COVID-19 on the White House on November 22, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Win Mcnamee | Getty Images
The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said the U.S. is “actually” still in the midst of a Covid-19 pandemic and he’s “very troubled” by the divisive state of American politics.
“As a public health official, I don’t desire to see anyone suffer and die from Covid,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “I do not care should you’re a far-right Republican or a far-left Democrat, everybody deserves to have the protection of excellent public health and that is not happening.”
Fauci said between 300 and 400 persons are still dying from Covid day-after-day, and the uptake of the most recent vaccine booster has been lower than 15%.
“I believe the concept forget it, that is over — it is not,” he said.
The 81-year-old became a household name during the Covid-19 pandemic, battling back against misinformation — sometimes from the very best levels of presidency. He challenged former President Donald Trump on every little thing from the usage of hydroxychloroquine to mask mandates, and his steadfast commitment to science made him a quasi-celebrity.
White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said Sunday he knows it has been a protracted two years for Americans, but that it remains to be “incredibly vital” to get vaccinated ahead of the vacation season.
“We understand that folks wish to move on,” Jha told ABC News’ “This Week,” “The excellent news is, they’ll move on in the event that they keep their immunity up to this point.”
Fauci announced plans in August to step down from his roles running the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and advising the White House as its chief medical advisor at the top of the 12 months. He gave his expected final Covid briefing Tuesday, where he encouraged people to get vaccinated.
“I hope to be remembered for what I’ve tried to do, just bring science and medicine and public health principles to very serious crises we have had,” Fauci said Sunday. “As I’ve said before, I’ve given it every little thing I even have to try this.”
Fauci has advised seven U.S. presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan through the HIV/AIDS epidemic, West Nile virus, the 2001 anthrax attacks, pandemic influenza, various bird influenza threats, Ebola, Zika and, most recently, Covid and monkeypox.
