As infections and deaths rise in America, Anthony Fauci spoke of the contrasts between the two Presidents Joe Bidden and Donald Trump in addressing serious issues about the coronavirus pandemic.
On Sunday, the latest data says that over 25.6 million people in America have testing positive for COVID-19. The deaths due to the coronavirus have crossed 429,000.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke of the ways in which former president Trump tried to get him to downplay the severity of the spread and infections.
Whenever Fauci publicly contradicted the former president’s unscientific proclamations, MAGA supporters retorted by shouting “fire Fauci” at campaign rallies.
Fauci told the New York Times in an interview on Sunday that Trump asked him to be optimistic even when the situation was grave. The President would say that the situation was not as bad as it was despite Fauci’s warnings of the gravity of the pandemic.
The president would also keep on telling him to be positive and even asked him why he was being “so negativistic.”
He also ruminated on how the president would take the opinions of people he knew about drugs as well as alternative therapies and not just hydroxychloroquine. Most of the suggestions could have been made by businesspersons and not scientists.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had to put out a caution against its use, in a civilian setting or a home, as it can cause heart rhythm issues. The drug is an effective one but needs to be used in a hospital setting or in a clinical trial where its possible side effects can be monitored.
When Fauci had tried to calmly explain these points to the former president, Trump had replied, “Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, this stuff really works.”
Having a positive attitude is well and good in a pandemic. But to err on the side of caution by wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, getting vaccinated, using drugs that are clinically monitored, are all ways that have been proved to prevent the coronavirus or decrease its spread.
