Fauci’s mixed hope and fear messages not helping people
Dr. Anthony Fauci is always on message about the coronavirus pandemic.
The problem is, that message is as firm as Jell-O.
Back in February, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health said he was cautiously optimistic about the upcoming MLB season.
He told ESPN’s Buster Olney “We could have a pretty good chance of having a baseball season that’s a full season. That we could have people in the stands, maybe not right next to each other; there are going to be public health restrictions like mask wearing and things like that.”
A month later, Fauci gave Americans an update on the state of the fight against COVID19. “I want them to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, particularly that we have multiple, highly efficacious vaccines.”
And just last week, he said in an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition, “It’s kind of like a race between the potential for a surge and our ability to vaccinate as many people as we possibly can. And hopefully, if you want to make this a metaphorical race, the vaccine is going to win this one.”
Lauded by Democrats as the antithesis of Donald Trump in terms of his stance on COVID-19, Fauci has been hailed as the voice of reason and sciencebased solutions by those on the left. The whole “don’t wear a mask, do wear a mask, now wear two” flip-flopping was forgiven and forgotten.
There’s been a perceptible air of optimism as vaccination levels have risen, and the country slowly reopens.
On Wednesday, however, Fauci hit the brakes on positivity.
The U.S. is at risk of a surge, he told CNN, as COVID-19 cases are plateauing at a “disturbingly high level.”
While lower than the peak earlier this year, there were still more than 61,000 new cases reported on Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And the lack of continued significant decreases in infections is a concern to Fauci, particularly given the spread of variants.
“It’s almost a race between getting people vaccinated and this surge that seems to want to increase,” Fauci said.
We get it — the pandemic isn’t over yet. The virus has mutated, and variants are part of the infectious mix.
It’s one thing to keep up the drumbeat on the need for masking and social distancing as part of the arsenal in the battle against COVID-19. But when pandemic-weary Americans hear that the light at the end of the tunnel could be an oncoming train, it inspires more fear rather than increased diligence.
People want to get out and enjoy life again, and states are signaling a return to outdoor concerts for the summer.
Fauci would do well to give us news we can use: How good are existing vaccines at protecting against variants, what’s the hospitalization rate among new cases?
The doctor does remain steady in urging Americans to get their shots and practice preventative measures.
“Hang in there a bit longer,” he said. “Now is not the time, as I’ve said so many times, to declare victory prematurely.”
Nor is it the time to squelch well-earned optimism with fresh worries.