Jul 25, 2020 - Health

"I am in a risk category": Fauci says he won't be getting on a plane

Photo: Al Drago - Pool/Getty Images

NIAID director Anthony Fauci told MarketWatch Saturday he won't get on a plane nor eat at restaurants due to the current state of the coronavirus pandemic.

The big picture: States are figuring out how to mitigate cases without completely halting their economies. But for the past two months, many are seeing cases and hospitalizations rise.

What he's saying: "I am in a risk category," Fauci said. "I don’t like to admit it, but I’m 79 years old. I can’t think of a reason to go trans-Atlantic. Right now, I’m very sequestered. I’m on a coronavirus task force. I go to the White House almost every day."

  • "I don’t fancy seeing myself getting infected, which is a risk when you’re getting on a plane, particularly with the amount of infection that’s going on right now," he said.

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Axios
Oct 19, 2020 - Health

GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander defends Fauci amid Trump attacks

Alexander, chairman of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee, speaks during a committee hearing. Photo: Al Drago - Pool/Getty Images

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) praised NIAID Director Anthony Fauci on Monday, tweeting that the U.S. would have fewer COVID-19 cases if more Americans "paid attention to his advice."

Between the lines: Alexander, who is retiring at the end of this year, did not specifically name Donald Trump, but his comments came less than 30 minutes after the president escalated his attacks on Fauci on Twitter.

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Axios
Oct 19, 2020 - Health

Trump attacks CNN as "dumb b*stards" for continuing to cover pandemic

President Trump attacked CNN for continuing to cover the coronavirus pandemic, calling the network "dumb b*stards" at a campaign rally in Prescott, Arizona on Monday.

Why it matters: The president's attacks on the media and Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious-disease expert, come as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are again surging across the country, just two weeks out from Election Day.

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Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Politics: Americans feel Trump's sickness makes him harder to trust — Florida breaks record for in-person early voting — McConnell urges White House not to strike stimulus deal before election — Republican senators defend Fauci as Trump escalates attacks.
  2. Health: The next wave is gaining steam.
  3. Education: Schools haven't become hotspots — University of Michigan students ordered to shelter-in-place.
  4. World: Ireland moving back into lockdown — Argentina becomes 5th country to report 1 million infections.
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