U.S. top infectious-disease expert at risk of being fired

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases (NIAID) who has constantly criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s response to COVID-19, faces the risk of being fired. Some argue that the Trump administration could try to scapegoat Dr. Fauci in order to shift responsibility for its inadequate dealing with the pandemic.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that Dr. Fauci who is a key member of the national coronavirus task force had not seen President Trump for over a month since June 2. A high ranking official said Dr. Fauci had not reported directly to the president at least for two months.

Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for the U.S. Health and Human Services, told NBC news that Dr. Fauci had made many mistakes including underestimating the risk of COVID-19 in January and opposing to masks. “Dr. Fauci’s a nice man, but he’s made a lot of mistakes,” President Trump recently said on Fox News and Gray Television. “I disagree with him.” In April, he retweeted a message calling for the firing of Dr. Fauci.


Seol Lee snow@donga.com