"COVID-19 Just Beginning"... US Fauci Raises Alert Level

Pouch NIAID Director "COVID-19 Is the Worst Nightmare"
Gaining Public Trust Amid COVID-19 Concerns
Expresses Hope for Multiple Vaccine Developments

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] "The worst nightmare."

Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who had been forgotten for a while after the economic reopening measures, has raised the level of warning about the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

At the recent 'Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) Digital Week' medical conference held via video conference, Fauci described the COVID-19 situation as "the crisis is not over yet" and called it "the worst nightmare." He issued a stronger warning, saying it is a new disease humanity has never faced before, a highly contagious respiratory disease, and also has a high fatality rate. He said, "In just four months, it has devastated the entire world," and added, "I thought HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) was a complicated disease, but compared to COVID-19, it is really simple."

His remarks have drawn attention because they coincided with the lifting of various lockdown measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. and growing concerns about a second wave of infections due to protests. Although expectations for economic recovery have increased, the cumulative confirmed cases in the U.S. exceeded 2 million on the 10th (local time), and in some states such as Florida, confirmed COVID-19 cases are showing an upward trend again.

Every statement by Fauci has caused a huge impact. In an interview with a media outlet on the 27th of last month, he said, "A second wave of COVID-19 can occur, but it is not inevitable," and "If the public follows health guidelines well and authorities maintain testing capacity, the second wave can be prevented." Just the fact that Fauci made such remarks gave the market a sense of relief, leading to an overall rise in stock prices.

However, typically, Fauci's statements tend to require a serious awareness rather than optimism, and among conservatives, he was sometimes stigmatized as "unlikable." Whenever moves to resume economic activities emerged, he expressed concerns that "avoidable sacrifices could be caused." Fox News host Bill Maher recently mocked, saying, "Since the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, Fauci has changed his words several times," and "In January, he even said the risk of COVID-19 in the U.S. was very low."

He made principled statements his trademark. Especially, Fauci did not bend his principles even when his views conflicted with those of U.S. President Donald Trump. When President Trump claimed that the malaria treatment drug hydroxychloroquine was effective and showed a no-mask stance, Fauci argued whenever he had the chance that wearing masks is effective and the drug’s efficacy has not been proven.

The public seems to side with Fauci. According to a poll conducted by Business Insider, among key U.S. government officials involved in COVID-19 response, Fauci earned the highest trust. The U.S. political magazine Politico defended him in a column titled "Fauci is not the villain," saying, "Epidemiologists prepare for the worst-case scenario," and "He is fulfilling his duty."

He does not always ignore economic measures. He also spoke of hope regarding vaccines and treatments. Fauci predicted, "As the world races to treat COVID-19, multiple companies will receive final approval and their vaccines will be used." He opposed price controls raised by some. Fauci said, "The pharmaceutical industry ultimately operates for profit," and "Unless companies try to exploit those who need vaccines, they should be guaranteed a certain level of profit." He added, "It is effective for the government to cooperate with pharmaceutical companies and support their development."

The U.S. government plans to start funding pharmaceutical companies for phase 3 clinical trials of vaccines from July. Moderna will be supported in July, Oxford-AstraZeneca in August, and Johnson & Johnson in September. Regarding this support policy, Fauci said, "By early summer at least one vaccine candidate will be in an advanced clinical trial stage," and "This is good news for the overall COVID-19 vaccine development."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.