Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Fauci testifying before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on June 30. Photo: Al Drago/AFP via Getty Images
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with WebMD's chief medical officer on Saturday that young people are driving the uptick in coronavirus cases by "not caring" whether they get infected.
Why it matters: Fauci said the biggest age group currently reporting new infections is at least 15 years younger than the major demographic that contracted the virus a few months ago.
What he's saying: "[Young people are] not going to get very sick. They know that," Fauci said.
- "So what I think is happening is that, understandably, innocently, but not correctly, the younger individuals are saying, well, if I get infected, so the chances of it is that I won't even have any symptoms, so who cares? That's a big mistake."
- "Because by allowing yourself to getting infected or not caring if you do get infected, you are propagating a pandemic. Because it doesn't end with you. You get infected and have no symptoms. The chances are you're going to infect someone else, who will then infect someone else."
- "And then someone who's vulnerable to severe consequences will get infected. That could be [somebody's] father, mother, or grandmother. It could be a sick child who's an immunodeficient child. It could be a woman who's on chemotherapy for breast cancer."
- "Then all of a sudden, you're not operating in a vacuum. You're part of the problem as opposed to being part of the solution."
Fauci stood by his June warning that the U.S. may start reporting as many as 100,000 new coronavirus cases per day if it doesn't get the virus under control.
- "I think we can turn this around. But when I said I was concerned that we might be heading towards 100,000 per day ... didn't want to, you know, inappropriately scare anybody."
- "But if you just take a look at what's actually happened, at that time, we went from 20 to 30, and then we doubled it. We went to [40,000], and then 50, 60, and now we're at 70."
Go deeper: Fauci on who to trust amid coronavirus: "Stick with respected medical authorities"