The US “could have saved lives” if it had introduced measures to stop Covid-19 earlier, a top health official says.
“If we had, right from the beginning, shut everything down, it may have been a little bit different,” Dr Anthony Fauci told CNN, but added that making that decision had been complicated.
The US has recorded over 555,000 virus cases and 22,000 deaths so far.
President Donald Trump later signalled his disproval with the interview by sharing a tweet about firing Dr Fauci.
Dr Fauci has become the public face of the US fight against the outbreak, appearing alongside Mr Trump at the White House’s daily updates.
But the two have openly differed on several issues, Mr Fauci pointing out in a recent CBS interview that he takes a scientific approach while Mr Trump comes from a “hope, layperson standpoint”.
Mr Trump retweeted a post on Sunday from former Republican congressional hopeful Deanna Lorraine.
“Fauci was telling people on February 29th that there was nothing to worry about and it posed no threat to the US public at large,” it said. “Time to #FireFauci…”
The Trump administration has issued social distancing guidance that lasts until 30 April, but there are questions over when restrictions should be lifted.
What did Fauci say?
When asked about a New York Times report that Dr Fauci and other officials had suggested aggressive mitigation towards the end of February, Dr Fauci said health officials could only make recommendations from a “pure health standpoint”.
“Often, the recommendation is taken. Sometimes, it’s not. But it is what it is, we are where we are right now.”
Dr Fauci, who is leading the US response to coronavirus, added that “no one is going to deny” that logically, earlier mitigation could have saved lives.
But he said “what goes into those kinds of decisions is complicated”.
“There was a lot of pushback about shutting things down back then.”
The top doctor also acknowledged that multiple factors were involved with the current situation in the US, such as the nation’s size and heterogeneity, not just a later start on mitigation.
But he also said parts of the nation might be able to begin a slow return to normalcy “at least in some ways, maybe next month”.
“You don’t want to do something precipitously,” Dr Fauci emphasised, noting that ending virus containment efforts too hastily could lead to a rebound.
“It’s going to be depending on where you are in the country, the nature of the outbreak you already experienced and the threat of an outbreak you may not have experienced.”
Dr Fauci is leading the US response to coronavirus
Dr Fauci was also hopeful that the US presidential election, slated for 3 November, would still take place – if the nation takes a measured approach to lessening restrictions.
The president’s retweet, seen as a signal of his frustration with Dr Fauci, came alongside other tweets from him criticising the media over its coverage of his administration’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.
In recent days the president has also been critical of the World Health Organization, as he continues to face mounting pressure over both the outbreak and the severe economic disruption it is causing.
Source: BBC
