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Whitehouse coronavirus advisor Dr Anthony Fauci believes Americans have an independent mind, but there are times when it’s in our best interests to follow the rules.
Fauci, speaking at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday with other senior health experts on the pandemic, noted that it was a bit unfair to compare the United States’ response to the coronavirus with others country. The United States is not an island of five million people that can easily be shut down, he notes. So, removing and controlling the virus is much more of a challenge.
“I was speaking with my British colleagues who say the UK is similar to what we are now, because each of our countries has this independent spirit,” he said on stage. “I can understand that, but now is the time to do as you are told.”
Fauci noted that scientists throughout this pandemic have been viewed as “bossy” by members of the public, due to measures taken to combat the virus. He noted that it is unfortunate that science “has become part of politics”.
In a “divisive” society, he said, people’s willingness to follow the advice of scientists has often been described as a political decision. Surveys have shown that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to view Covid-19 as a major threat to public health.
“Suddenly science is caught in a big part of this division,” he said.
But if the majority of Americans start following the guidelines, Fauci said he’s convinced we won’t need to shut down the country. Instead, he explained, the virus could be brought under control if people wore masks, were socially distant and washed their hands.
In his view, collective immunity is not a viable strategy.
“It sounds simple in the context of this worrying epidemic, but in fact we can turn the tide,” he said.
Fauci spoke alongside Dr Luciana Borio, a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus task force and National Institutes of Health director Dr Francis Collins.
More than 10 million people in the United States have contracted the virus and 242,000 have died. There have been more than 1,000 deaths a day for weeks at a time and the discussion comes as many health experts are increasingly concerned about the winter months.
But this week, the country heard positive news with Pfizer announcing that its vaccine is over 90 percent effective.
Fauci seemed more optimistic, given the vaccine news, than he has been in the past. He hopes people can see a light at the end of the tunnel and will be prepared to take the pandemic more seriously.
“When people know that help is on the way … I hope we can get over Covid fatigue,” he said.
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