Fauci Has Officially Had It With COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Like The Rest Of Us
Fauci has no time left for people that compare COVID-19 to the flu
Even as the U.S. has almost 12 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and over a quarter of a million deaths as of today, there are still conspiracy theories floating around about the virus not being real. The nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, Anthony Fauci, is tired of it and made that known this week for anyone who cared to listen.
“Get rid of these ridiculous conspiracy theories,” Fauci said during an editorial board meeting with USA Today on Wednesday. He also did not mince words when it comes to people who compare it to the flu. “You have [over 250,000 COVID-19] deaths, 11 million infections and 70,000 people in the hospital. Flu doesn’t even come close,” he said.
He also described the unimaginable ire he has for people who either refuse to look at data or somehow feel they are being lied to by an entire global scientific community.
“When you ask me about frustration, which borders on pain, it’s that either people don’t want to look at the data or they look at the data and they say it’s fake. No, it isn’t fake. … This is a global issue,” Fauci said.
Fauci, who is the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been vocal about his frustration with the Trump administration mishandling of the pandemic, saying recently, “All the stars are aligned in the wrong place” as the country heads into winter. “You could not possibly be positioned more poorly.”
Fauci also has zero time for Dr. Scott Atlas, who has become the President’s de facto COVID-19 adviser, after his fallout with Trump.
“I have real problems with that guy,” the Washington Post quoted Fauci as saying about Atlas. “He’s a smart guy who’s talking about things that I believe he doesn’t have any real insight or knowledge or experience in. He keeps talking about things that when you dissect it out and parse it out, it doesn’t make any sense.”
Fauci has been steadfast with his advice since the pandemic began: Wear a mask, socially distance, avoid group settings, and wash your hands frequently. And he is understandably frustrated that as the U.S. continues to set daily records of positive cases and hospitalizations, there are still people out there who believe they are being Punk’d.
“I tell the people who deny or think that this is nothing, do you mean that every single country in Europe is doing the same thing, is making things up?” Fauci said. “They’re not. I mean, it’s so obvious.”
Yes, it is.
Information about COVID-19 is rapidly changing, and Scary Mommy is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. With news being updated so frequently, some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For this reason, we are encouraging readers to use online resources from local public health departments, the Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization to remain as informed as possible.
