A Few Words from Dr. Anthony Fauci

This article is based on excerpts from an interview with Dr. Fauci on November 16, 2020, for the annual meeting of the American Medical Informatics Association.

A Few Words from Dr. Anthony Fauci

Dr. Fauci is a world-renowned physician. As the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, he is an expert on the COVID-19 pandemic. He has served the American public for over 50 years, working with the National Institutes of Health. He was recently named Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. “This distinction is only given to top health leaders who have demonstrated a firm commitment to nursing and to transforming health policy.” (American Academy of Nursing, August 2020)

This week, he was interviewed for the American Medical Informatics Association’s (AMIA) annual meeting which took place online. He was interviewed by the head of the National Library of Medicine, Dr. Patricia Flatley Brennan, and the AMIA President, Dr. Eneida Mendonca. 

Here are some of the comments excerpted from the interview: 

(Not verbatim quotes)

1.  What stands out to you about COVID-19?

This outbreak is like none other. Our country and the world has been threatened by several pandemics: 1918, 1957, 1968, 2009, Ebola, Zika. Pandemics happen. But no other virus has behaved like this one. 40% of those who contract it are asymptomatic. Of those with symptoms, 80% recover without medical intervention. But then there are the 15-20% who get sick enough to need treatment and some die. We simply need more data to understand this disease better. 

It is important that we follow those who have been sick long term so that we understand the long-term effects of COVID-19. Why is it that some people stay sick for a long time? We need to know more about that and pursue an understanding of the pathophysiology of how the virus affects the human body. It might be that a registry will help us follow patients better long term. 

2.  What do we need to teach medical professionals that are coming up?

- Be prepared. Pandemics happen.

- Preparation keeps us from chasing after a pandemic which is generally not a good formula for success.

- We need to work to understand the role of science in public health. Science will ultimately help us get out by helping us understand the pathophysiology and by discovering a vaccine.

- Teach science as early as you can. For those who have the inclination, it is so exciting to study science that it is almost love at first sight. Maybe learning science early is like learning a second language early, If young people are so inclined, they get smitten.

3.  How do you do research during a pandemic?

We must continue to do research because we have to be careful to do more good than harm. Research and double-blind, case-controlled studies can protect us all. Randomized case-controlled trials are the ethically sound way to get to answers. 

When we first heard about COVID-19, it was January 9, 2020. On January 10, we talked with Moderna and now they have the vaccine that is 94% effective. We are very happy about that. We would have been happy with 75% but we got 94%! Ten years ago, it would have taken 3 years to get a vaccine. But because of the technology and research we were already doing, that was already in place, we were able to come out with a vaccine so quickly. Genomic epidemiology helped us trace the origin of the virus that hit New York back to Europe and Italy. Because of science, we knew where to focus our efforts. 

4.  What are some challenges that we face?

We need to rebuild our public health system.

We need to strengthen the global health surveillance systems that are interconnected and transparent to the world. One thing is for sure: microbes will emerge. 75% of those that afflict humans are zoonotic ( transmitted to humans from animals). We cannot prevent that but we can be ready.

5.  How do we combat the mistrust of science?

We must be:

  • Transparent
  • Consistent
  • Honest—like apple pie and motherhood.

What is harmful is something called “false equivalencies.” For example, back when we were working on HIV, a group of scientists and Berkeley came out saying that AIDS was not caused by HIV but by behavior. Because they had credentials, it sounded like they knew what they were talking about but they were wrong. We were speaking the truth. People hearing both sides in the news were confused.  This is hard.

6.  How do we help people understand the safety and efficacy of the vaccine?

This is an important point. The public needs to understand that the system to approve vaccines cannot be manipulated by business. It is impossible. The data are analyzed independently. It is not beholden to ANYONE. Statisticians look at it and either stop or declare it effective. It is really important to understand that there is no way for a company to manipulate this part of the process. There is also an advisory committee to the FDA. After that all the data is open to the public so that scientists can examine it. The idea that we can “sneak” something through is an impossibility. 

The speed did not compromise reliability. It reflects the new technology and the amount of money we put into it. We were doing things in parallel as opposed to sequentially. Normally, you prove it works before you produce. In this case, we took a financial risk and vaccines started production while still in the process of approval. This is because, as a society, we decided it was important enough to do it this way. 

7.  What are the take-home messages?

- Wear a mask. Do the common sense things to protect yourself and others.

- Wash your hands, stay at a safe distance, don’t gather in groups.

- Skip large groupings this year. We have exciting, impressive vaccine data. Help is on the way but the cavalry is not here yet. We need to take this knowledge and let it motivate us to stay the course. This is not the time for people to travel to large family gatherings. This is a tough time. 

- Small gatherings this year so 2021 will be a great year!

Help is on the way but the cavalry is not here yet.  Anthony Fauci

Specializes in Faith Community Nurse (FCN).
9 hours ago, ICU/EMTP said:
9 hours ago, herring_RN said:

The first disease Dr. Fauci discovered a cure for was vasculitis—an inflammation of the blood cells that often occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own blood vessels. vasculitis patients suffered from rare inflammatory diseases, such as granulomatosis with polyangiitis, which damages blood vessels in the lungs, kidneys, and other organs. The disease was almost always fatal until he discovered how to treat it.

Dr.Fauci [and his team] followed by discovering treatments for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and transplant rejection. My sister-in-law, now in her 90s, developed Lupus in her teens. Thanks' to Dr. Fauci's discoveries she is an active lady volunteering at a food bank and at her church helping younger people deal with the "Virtual Church Service" technology. Her mother died of lupus at age 54.

I recently heard Magic Johnson say on TV, "I would have been dead long ago if not for Dr. Fauci."

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/anthony-s-fauci-md-bio 

Thank you for sharing this. Dr Fauci has done much important work. Joy

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Closed for staff review

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Thread reopened with several posts edited or removed. Please remember to debate the topic and not other posters. Thank you!

Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

Fauci: Thanksgiving gatherings will put families at risk

As hospitalization and death rates continue to rise due to COVID-19, millions of Americans across the country are preparing this week for the Thanksgiving holiday. Judy Woodruff speaks with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor, to learn more about how families can celebrate the holidays safely amid the pandemic.

 

Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

THE PATH FORWARD; Combating Covid 19

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Well, Bob, if you look at the surge that we're in right now we're talking about, you know, 200,000 new cases a day. We've been over 100,000 a day for the last 20 days, I believe. You know, an average of between high 1,000, close to 2,000 deaths, 80,000-plus hospitalizations. If you look at the number of cases that go from 10 million, to 11 million, to now we're at 12 million, and you look at the number of deaths and you count the days between now and the end of the year, you know, we're now at over 250,000 deaths, a quarter of a million deaths. You know, you could get well over 300,000 and close to even more than that if we don't turn things around.

In the same breath I say that, Bob, I want people to realize -- I don't want to this to be a doomsday statement. It is within our power to not let those numbers happen. So just because you hear numbers from the models, and you wanted concrete numbers, I gave them to you, the fact is you don't have to accept those numbers as being inevitable. There are things you can do about it. I showed you the curve has that steepness. You can do that to the curve. We know that those things work, when you compare those who have done it with those who have not.

So, the numbers can be stark, they can be sobering, and in many respects, they can be frightening, but we have the tools to prevent that from happening. It's literally within our power to do that.

 

Transcript

On 11/21/2020 at 5:06 PM, ICU/EMTP said:

The disease exists. The response was complete blown out of proportion to suit a political goal. And continues to be. And they depend on their useful idiots to obey and comply. Laughable. The only places that had issues were those that created then and then fanned the flames. 

Very true. We could try to explain the real reason for this global catastrophe but it would be a huge waste of time to do that on a forum and y'all would probably dismiss any form of thinking different than your own. But, because I do think that at least one of y'all are open minded, I would reference and research an event called Agenda 2030. 

14 minutes ago, Jack Peace said:

Very true. We could try to explain the real reason for this global catastrophe but it would be a huge waste of time to do that on a forum and y'all would probably dismiss any form of thinking different than your own. But, because I do think that at least one of y'all are open minded, I would reference and research an event called Agenda 2030. 

I already know about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. I have no idea how you think they are connected to the Covid-19 pandemic? I think you need to spell out how you think they are linked. The only link I can see is that the pandemic has had a negative effect on several of them. So do you think someone is somehow trying to sabotage the SDGs? 

4 hours ago, macawake said:

I already know about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. I have no idea how you think they are connected to the Covid-19 pandemic? I think you need to spell out how you think they are linked. The only link I can see is that the pandemic has had a negative effect on several of them. So do you think someone is somehow trying to sabotage the SDGs? 

When you realize you have been mislead, only then will you see it. Pandemic? Start with plandemic, who stands to benefit from antivirals, mass vaccination, small businesses forced to close while corporations are allowed to remain open??

23 minutes ago, Jack Peace said:

When you realize you have been mislead, only then will you see it. Pandemic? Start with plandemic, who stands to benefit from antivirals, mass vaccination, small businesses forced to close while corporations are allowed to remain open??

Save your breath. The sheep are fully onboard with it. 

Don't ya just love Dr. Anthony Fauci, he has taken millions from the Bill & Belinda Gates foundation and hasn't treated a patient in decades.

You really think he does not stand to benefit financially from this "crisis"? 

OIP.jpg
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
1 hour ago, DaveMHA-RN said:

Don't ya just love Dr. Anthony Fauci, he has taken millions from the Bill & Belinda Gates foundation and hasn't treated a patient in decades.

You really think he does not stand to benefit financially from this "crisis"? 

OIP.jpg

Fauci currently sees patients as a portion of his role at NIAID. When you can't even get fundamental facts correct while trying to damage the character of a prominent health professional you end up looking like a partisan fool with no credibility. 

 

9 hours ago, Jack Peace said:

When you realize you have been mislead, only then will you see it. Pandemic? Start with plandemic, who stands to benefit from antivirals, mass vaccination, small businesses forced to close while corporations are allowed to remain open??

Talk about being misled...LOL. Jack, Your use of the term "plandemic" clearly identifies you as an uneducated conspiracy believer.  Get back to us when you have facts which inform your fears.  

52 minutes ago, toomuchbaloney said:

Fauci currently sees patients as a portion of his role at NIAID. When you can't even get fundamental facts correct while trying to damage the character of a prominent health professional you end up looking like a partisan fool with no credibility. 

Fauci does not see patient at NIAID -he is the director. It is a quasi-governmental organization rife with politics. So you the acts strait. 

"trying to damage the character of a prominent health professional"

Cry me a frigging river. People have every right to point out conflicts of interest with public officials and Fauci is conflicted. NAAID has taken millions from the Gates Foundation. Gates is not a scientist but he has said things will never go back to normal without a vaccine. Gate's immunization programs in India and Africa killed thousands and left many infertile.

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/corruption/did-bill-gates-buy-the-CDC/#:~:text=Dr. Anthony Fauci has a %24100 million conflict,pledged %24100 million for Fauci to play with.

" you end up looking like a partisan fool with no credibility. "

It is YOU who is the partisan fool with no credibility. 

Here's what Fauci said in his own words about masks before he flip-flopped to appease Bill Gates and left-wing politicians: