National review
Anthony Fauci has worn out his welcome
More than a year ago, Americans welcomed Anthony Fauci into their homes as the sober scientist who helped them make sense of a deadly new virus. But he has exhausted this reception. It is true that Fauci has had a brilliant career since Ronald Reagan advised every president and won the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot to admire in its overall tour. However, as the director of the U.S. National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, he has a serious job that isn’t about being a media spokesperson who is so ubiquitous that it’s hard to believe he’ll ever turn down media inquiries. In keeping with a media plan worthy of a serious presidential candidate or an actor in a new major studio release, Fauci has gradually ceased to stand out from the controversial debate about pandemic, bans, restrictions, precautions, and what is safe and what is risky . Instead, it has become part of the spiciness, offering hazy and sometimes conflicting recommendations. This goes well beyond his initial discouragement from using masks in January and February 2020, like most US health officials, or his insurance in mid-March 2020: “The guidelines are a 15-day trial policy that needs to be reconsidered. It is not that these guidelines will be in effect until July. “Fauci does not write or set quarantine policies that are enforced by cities and states. He can only advise other people inside and outside the government. But his voice carries a lot of weight and more or less willingly he has become the face of American quarantine policy. His perspective always seems frustrating that the right time for an opening is in another six weeks, regardless of how low the case numbers are or how much the national vaccination program is accelerating. And it’s hard to shake that Fauci makes recommendations based on how he thinks people will react. Fauci admitted in December that he had changed his herd immunity ratings based on what he believed the public might handle hearing. In the early days of the pandemic, Fauci tended to cite the same estimate of 60 to 70 percent that most experts had, but Fauci gradually increased it to 85 percent. In an interview with Donald McNeil Jr. of the New York Times, Fauci admitted that he slowly but deliberately moved the goal posts. He is doing this, partly based on new scientific knowledge, partly because of his gut feeling that the country is finally ready to hear what he really thinks. “In early March, Fauci strongly criticized the state of Texas for ending its statewide mask mandate, stating,” It is risky and could take us back to a place worse than it is now. . . and lead to additional voltage peaks. “In Texas, however, the number of cases has continued to decline. When asked about the lack of an increase in this condition, he replied, “You know, there are a lot of things that contribute to it. I mean when you say they played a lot of the outside like ball games, I’m not entirely sure. They could be doing things outdoors. “Earlier this month, after asking Fauci about the risk of detention breakouts for migrants, the GOP legislature said,” I have nothing to do with the border. . . . Having me on the limit is really not what I do. “Except Fauci has weighed travel restrictions and border closings many times over the past year. It is clear that many migrants of all ages in detention centers are a formula for the virus to spread rapidly. Fauci just didn’t want to criticize the Biden administration, so he evaded the question. Most frustrating, however, are Fauci’s recent comments that vaccination does not significantly change the risk of developing COVID-19 and cannot justify changes in behavior. Fauci said that even though he is vaccinated, he still won’t eat inside a restaurant, go to the movies, or “go to a crowded indoor space where people don’t wear masks”. He said he still wouldn’t travel either. Vaccinated people are protected from serious health problems by COVID-19, and we have known for a month that vaccinated people, when infected, give off dramatically fewer viruses – maybe 75 to 90 percent. If such results don’t make it safe to go to a restaurant or a movie theater, what then? If vaccination doesn’t allow you to return to something like normal, what is it about? We may overlook the Hollywood-style photo shoot by the pool or its unmasking while watching a baseball game. But Fauci has morphed into the perpetually pessimistic, over-cautious, relocating, manageable face of pandemic recovery. At this point, he would do himself a favor by triggering the next opportunity to appear on a TV show or podcast and focus on his day job.
