Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fauci Faces Combative Questioning On Covid Origins, Masks, And Vaccines
Anthony S. Fauci defended himself Monday against claims that he orchestrated a coverup of the coronavirus pandemic鈥檚 origins, with the former government official rejecting some allegations as 鈥渟imply preposterous.鈥 The prominent infectious-disease expert, who served as a senior leader at the National Institutes of Health for four decades before leaving government at the end of 2022, said Republicans have distorted emails between himself and other scientists as they discussed whether a laboratory leak of the coronavirus was possible. (Diamond, 6/3)
Grilled about comments he made in January about a protocol that people maintain a distance of 6 feet from one another, Fauci said that the policy had been developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not his agency. He said that when he said in January that he wasn鈥檛 aware of studies supporting the 6-foot rule, he meant that he wasn鈥檛 aware of formal clinical trials.聽(McKay, 6/3)
The longtime government scientist made no effort to hide his dismay when grilled on various conspiracy theories or unfounded claims about his actions regarding COVID-19. And the hearing was marked by some chaotic moments, involving both the House members and Fauci critics in the audience.聽Here are some takeaways from the hearing. (Choi, 6/3)
The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Biden appeared emotional as he told a Republican-led House panel that the repeated threats he and his family have faced since the pandemic began were "very troublesome." During his testimony, Greene repeatedly berated Fauci and refused to address him with the honorific "doctor," instead referring to him as "Mr. Fauci." "You're not doctor," she said. "You're Mr. Fauci in my few minutes." (Rubin, 6/4)