The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said the U.S. is “certainly” still in the middle of a Covid-19 pandemic and he is “very troubled” by the divisive state of American politics. “As a public health official, I don’t want to see anyone suffer and die from Covid,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “I don’t care if you’re a far-right Republican or a far-left Democrat, everybody deserves to have the safety of good public health and that’s not happening.”
Fauci said between 300 and 400 people are still dying from Covid every day, and the uptake of the latest vaccine booster has been less than 15%. “I think the idea that forget it, this is over — it isn’t,” he said. The 81-year-old became a household name during the Covid-19 pandemic, battling back against misinformation — sometimes from the highest levels of government. He challenged former President Donald Trump on everything from the use 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 long two years for Americans, but that it is still “incredibly important” to get vaccinated ahead of the holiday season. “We understand that people want to move on,” Jha told ABC News’ “This Week,” “The good news is, they can move on if they keep their immunity up to date.”