Published 12:21 IST, January 22nd 2021
Fauci describes 'liberating feeling' of no longer working under Trump administration
Fauci spoke of a “liberating feeling” of being able to speak scientific truth about the coronavirus without the fear of “repercussions” from former Prez Trump.
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Anthony Fauci, the top infectious diseases expert in the United States, on January 21 said that there were aspects of former President Donald Trump’s response to the pandemic that was “not based on scientific fact”. Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had endured a tough relationship with Trump and he was also increasingly sidelined from public briefings. However, he returned to the White House after newly minted President Joe Biden released a national COVID-19 strategy and signed ten executive orders to combat the unprecedented pandemic.
According to CNN, Fauci spoke of a “liberating feeling” of being able to speak scientific truth about the coronavirus without the fear of “repercussions” from Trump. He said that one of the things he going to do is to be completely transparent, open and honest. Fauci added that if things go wrong, instead of pointing fingers, he would correct them and make everything based on science and evidence.
When asked how it feels to no longer have Trump looming over him, Fauci said, “I do not want to be going back, you know, over history, but it is very clear that there were things that were said, be it regarding things like HCQ and other things like that, that really was uncomfortable, because they were not based on scientific fact. I can tell you, I take no pleasure at all in being in a situation of contradicting the President. So, it was really something that you did not feel that you could actually say something and there would not be any repercussions about it”.
Further, the top health official noted that under President Biden, he feels that he speak to topics based on his expertise. He added, "The idea that you can get up here and talk about what you know, what the evidence, what the science is and know that’s it, let the science speak, it is something of a liberating feeling”.
Biden’s goal of vaccination is ‘quite reasonable’
Meanwhile, during the same white press briefing, Fauci also noted that the number of new coronavirus infections is still at a “very high rate”. However, added that the goal set by Biden, of getting 100 million people vaccinated in 100 days, is quite a reasonable goal. Biden is tasked with primarily resolving the problem of quick and accurate vaccination. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 31.1 million doses have been delivered so far, but less than 40 per cent (12.2 million) has been administered.
In the view of same, Biden, last week, picked Dr David Kessler to help lead Operation Warp Speed which aims to expedite the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccine jabs across the American territory. Dr Kessler, a paediatrician and lawyer by profession, had led the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during both the Obama administration as well as the Clinton Administration. The appointment marks a major step towards the incoming leader’s vow to deliver 100 million vaccine shots in the first 100 days of his administration. Working alongside Gen. Gustave F Perna, Kessler would be charged with the manufacturing, distribution and the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
(With inputs from ANI)
12:21 IST, January 22nd 2021