‘Wouldn’t Have Imagined In My Wildest Dreams’: Fauci Talks Death Threats, US Pandemic Response At Harvard Forum

CAMBRIDGE (CBS) — The country’s top infectious diseases doctor took part in an online discussion hosted by Harvard University Wednesday afternoon. Dr. Anthony Fauci said a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic brings out the best and worst in people.

Unfortunately, Fauci and his family have seen some of the worst.

“Getting death threats for me and my family, and harassing my daughters to the point where I have to get security is just. . . it’s amazing,” he told CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta. “I wouldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams that people who object to things that are pure public health principles are so set against it and don’t like what you and I say, namely in the word of science, that they actually threaten you. That to me is just strange.”

Fauci was also asked about the U.S. response so far to the pandemic. He said efforts to stop the spread have been complicated because cities and states have not all taken the same approach.

“Did we let the American people down?” asks @drsanjaygupta. “I think we can handle this . . .” says #DrFauci. “We can do better . . . there’s someplace in the middle where we can open the economy and not see the surges we’ve been seeing.” @ForumHSPH @NEJM pic.twitter.com/O9WYkZWmor

— HarvardPublicHealth (@HarvardChanSPH) August 5, 2020

“We can do much better and we can do much better without locking down,” he said. “And I think that strange binary approach, that either you’re locked down or you let it all fly, there’s some place in the middle where we can open the economy and still avoid these kind of surges that we’re seeing.”

Fauci listed four things to get the virus under control that everyone can do – wear masks, socially distance, wash hands and avoid large gatherings. He said if everyone complied, the country could see real results in a month or two.

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