Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Prepare Yourself For Another Year Of Masking, Fauci Predicts
The New York Times: Fauci Warns Americans Might Need To Wear Masks For Another Year
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser for Covid-19, said on Sunday that Americans may still be wearing masks outside their homes a year from now, even as he predicted the country would return to “a significant degree of normality” by fall. “I want it to keep going down to a baseline that’s so low there is virtually no threat,” Dr. Fauci said on the CNN program “State of the Union,” referring to the number of cases nationally that would make him comfortable enough to stop recommending universal masking. “If you combine getting most of the people in the country vaccinated with getting the level of virus in the community very, very low, then I believe you’re going to be able to say, for the most part, we don’t necessarily have to wear masks.” (Goodnough, 2/22)
The Washington Post: When Will Things Be Normal Again? Fauci Says Americans May Still Need Masks In 2022
Pandemic-weary Americans have employed a particular dependent clause so often that it has become a cliche: “When things are back to normal ...” Kids back to school. Parents back at work. Bars. Gyms. Concerts. Travel. Dinner parties. It is a phrase as optimistic as it is anticipatory. But it hides a burning question: When will things be normal again? (Thebault, 2/21)
And Dr. Fauci says he lacked direction from the Trump administration —
The Hill: Fauci: Scientists Lacked 'Any Direction' From Trump In Last Days Of Presidency
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said scientists lacked “any direction” during the last days of former President Trump’s time in office. In an interview with The Telegraph published on Friday, Fauci said that scientists were “acting alone” trying to protect the nation from the pandemic during the last two months of Trump’s presidency. (Williams, 2/19)
HuffPost: Dr. Fauci: Trump Let 'Terrible Things' Happen After Our COVID-19 Disagreements
Dr. Anthony Fauci continues to open up about his experiences working under the Trump administration, revealing the moment he began to lose influence with former President Donald Trump. In a wide-ranging interview with The Telegraph, the infectious disease specialist recalled a marked shift in his professional relationship with Trump in April or May of last year, once the president began to publicly side with anti-lockdown protesters and back states’ efforts to lift stay-at-home orders. (Wong, 2/19)
