White House coronavirus advisory Dr. Anthony Fauci says public health has nothing to do with politics, and people cannot run away from data.
“Public health is something that has really nothing to do with politics,” he said during a livestream interview.
Reacting to a Nov. 13 tweet claiming masks were “oppressive” from incoming House Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., he said that the message was “really very disturbing.”
“This is the worst outbreak that we’ve had of a respiratory-borne illness that we’ve had in 102 years. You can’t run away from the data. It’s incomprehensible to me how people are not seeing that,” Dr. Faui said.
He explained that the U.S. must implement uniform public health measures to contain the spread of the virus instead of taking steps bit by bit in different states.
In terms of public health protocols, the infectious disease specialist has constantly urged people to use face coverings, practice social distancing, avoid crowds, wash their hands, and do outdoor activities over indoors when possible.
“This is going to be a difficult task. We have to do outreach and get this out of the political realm. This is not a political issue,” he said.
No lockdown in the U.S.
Dr. Fauci previously said that there is “little appetite” for a lockdown as the country faces a spike in coronavirus cases.
“If things do not change, if they continue on the course we’re on, there’s gonna be a whole lot of pain in this country with regard to additional cases and hospitalizations, and deaths,” Dr. Fauci said in an interview on “The News with Shepard Smith.”
However, he said that cities like Philadelphia and New York are more capable of dealing with the surge, whereas locations in the northwest and heartland may experience difficulty.
“They never had the kind of hospital and intensive care facility and flexibility that some of the larger hospitals in larger cities have,” he stressed. “They’re concerned that if the trajectory continues, they may be in a position where they are going to be strapped for things like intensive care beds."
Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci also believes that a coronavirus vaccine is not enough to manage the pandemic.
“I think the opposite. … I really do” Dr. Fauci said. “The cavalry is coming but don’t put your weapons down, you better keep fighting because they are not here yet. Help is on the way, but it isn’t here yet.”
New communication strategy for public health
“Political leaders have political ambitions and the public health leaders and the technical leaders have ambitions on stopping the outbreak, and the two of those have to be reconciled in some way,” he continued.
“The public doesn’t understand all about vaccines … including that this disease may, even with vaccines, become endemic.”
