Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fauci's Take On U.S. Coronavirus Outbreak: 'Really Not Good'
The New York Times: Fauci Says Virus Cases ‘Never Got Down To Where We Wanted To Go’ As Deaths Pass 130,000
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, warned on Monday that the country was still “knee-deep in the first wave” of the pandemic, as U.S. deaths passed 130,000 and cases neared three million, while Texas and Idaho set daily records for new cases, according to a New York Times database. Dr. Fauci said that the more than 50,000 new cases a day recorded several times in the past week were “a serious situation that we have to address immediately.” (7/6)
CNN: Fauci Says US Coronavirus Situation Is 'Really Not Good' As New Cases Surge
Fauci on Monday pointed to "a series of circumstances associated with various states and cities trying to open up" too early as a key factor in the virus' surge and emphasized the US "should use the public health effort as a vehicle and a pathway to get to safe reopening." (LeBlanc, 7/6)
The Hill: Fauci: State Of US Coronavirus Outbreak 'Really Not Good'
He also compared the U.S. unfavorably with Europe, which was able to better suppress the virus after an initial spike. The comments contrast those made by White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who on Monday said, “I think the world is looking at us as a leader in COVID-19,” citing a lower mortality rate than Europe. (Sullivan, 7/6)
ABC News: Situation 'Really Not Good' As New COVID-19 Cases Break Records: Fauci
On the tension around the current outbreaks, Fauci said Americans should not look at public health efforts and reopening the economy as at odds with each other but there should be a balance of all the parameters to use protecting public health as a way to reopen. (Ebbs, 7/6)
NBC News: Fauci On A COVID-19 Vaccine: 'We Will At Least Have An Answer' In The Winter Whether It Works
The United States will know by the end of the year or the beginning of 2021 whether a coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious diseases doctor, said Monday. Multiple vaccine candidates are being studied, and "if things go the way it looks like they're going, one of these will enter phase 3 at the end of July," he said, referring to the final phase of clinical trials needed to determine whether a drug works. (Miller, 7/6)
