US COVID Hero Fauci Faces the 'Final Boss'... 'A Nightmare but There Is Also Hope' (Comprehensive)

Pauci 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."

After economic reopening measures, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who had been forgotten for a while, raised the warning level 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, Dr. 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.

Since 1984, during the terms of six U.S. presidents, Dr. Fauci has consistently served as the director of NIAID, fighting infectious diseases. His adversaries included the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS, anthrax terrorism, Zika virus, and Ebola virus. However, he viewed COVID-19 as different from the enemies he had fought before. He said, "(COVID-19) devastated the world in just four months," and added, "I thought HIV was a complicated disease, but compared to COVID-19, it is really simple."

His remarks drew 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 number of confirmed cases in the U.S. exceeded 2 million on the 10th (local time), and in some states like Florida, confirmed COVID-19 cases are rising again.

Every statement by Dr. 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 is not inevitable," and added, "If the public follows health guidelines well and authorities maintain testing capacity, the second wave can be prevented." Just the fact that Dr. Fauci made such remarks gave the market reassurance, leading to an overall rise in stock prices.

However, Dr. Fauci's statements typically call for serious awareness rather than optimism, which led some conservatives to label him as "unlikable." Whenever moves to resume economic activities emerged, he expressed concerns that it "could cause avoidable sacrifices." Fox News host Bill Maher recently mocked, saying, "Since the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, Dr. Fauci has changed his words several times," and added, "In January, he even said the risk of COVID-19 in the U.S. was very low."

He made candid remarks his trademark. Especially, Dr. Fauci did not bend his convictions even when his statements contradicted 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, Dr. Fauci argued whenever he had the chance that wearing masks is effective and that the drug's efficacy had not been proven.

The public seems to side with Dr. Fauci. According to a poll conducted by Business Insider, among key U.S. administration officials related to COVID-19 response, Dr. Fauci earned the highest trust. The American political magazine Politico defended him in a column titled "Dr. Fauci is not the villain," stating, "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. Dr. 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. Dr. Fauci said, "The pharmaceutical industry ultimately operates on profit-seeking," 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' phase 3 clinical trials for vaccines from July. In July, Moderna; in August, Oxford-AstraZeneca; and in September, Johnson & Johnson will be the targets. Regarding this support policy, Dr. Fauci said, "By early summer, at least one vaccine candidate will be in an advanced clinical trial stage," and "This is good news for overall COVID-19 vaccine development."

In fact, Dr. Fauci was a "hero" in the U.S. even before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2008, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor a U.S. president can bestow, from former President George W. Bush, for his key role in establishing the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). When the world was trembling over AIDS, PEPFAR was regarded as a response that saved millions of lives.

Additionally, he has received 45 honorary doctorates in the U.S. and abroad. He was once asked to lead the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the parent organization of NIAID, but declined, citing that the work at NIAID was more important. His academic research achievements are also outstanding. According to Google, as of last year, he was the 41st most cited scholar worldwide.

Despite being 79 years old, he has not announced retirement plans because the fight against HIV is not over yet. While the battle with HIV continues, he now faces an even greater worst enemy.

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