Dr. Anthony Fauci Discusses CDC Guidelines

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Faucishared his expertise and predictions with the American people. In his interview with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Suzanne Clark, Fauci discusses the state of the pandemic, when he expects to see a vaccine, and what businesses should do to reopen safely.

Physical Distancing, Handwashing, and Mask-Wearing Are Essential to Curbing the Virus

According to Dr. Fauci, the best way to curb the virus is to follow the CDC guidelines: wearing a mask, maintaining six feet of distance, avoiding crowds or large gatherings, and washing hands regularly with hand sanitizer or soap and water. He also urged government leaders to be “as forceful as possible” in getting their citizens to wear masks.

“Physical distancing is the most important,” Fauci added. “But practically, when you’re living your life and trying to open up the country, you are going to come into contact with other people.”

Fauci acknowledged that people may not always want to comply with these guidelines and may consider them unnecessary — in particular, with respect to mask-wearing. However, he urged those people to consider the greater responsibility of not only protecting themselves but protecting others. Even if someone is asymptomatic or experiences only mild symptoms, they could still easily spread the disease to someone who is vulnerable to becoming seriously ill.

“I understand that we have a spirit of independence in our country that was there from the very birth of our country, but this is really different,” Fauci explained. “This is everybody pulling together in a very serious situation.”

Dr. Fauci Reports ‘Favorable Results’ From Early Therapeutic and Vaccine Studies

As the pandemic continues, people may experience fatigue, exasperation or a lack of hope that things will ever return to normal. However, Dr. Fauci shared some promising news regarding possible therapeutic and vaccine solutions.

“We’re going as fast as we possibly can with the development of therapeutics and the development of a vaccine,” Fauci said. “We got some pretty favorable results in the early studies of vaccines [with] one of the candidates.

Fauci continued to explain that one vaccine candidate would be entering advanced phase three trials by the end of July, with other candidates entering advanced clinical trials throughout the remainder of the summer and fall.

“We feel cautiously optimistic [...] that we are on the road of getting this under control,” added Fauci.

People Should Get Tested (With Reason) and Prioritize General Health

With tests becoming increasingly commonplace, as well as the possibility of carrying the disease asymptomatically, people may be wondering whether they should get tested. However, Dr. Fauci explained that they don’t need to get tested unless they’re experiencing symptoms, have been exposed to COVID-19, or are complying with contact tracing requests.

He also recommended that people continue to look after their general health, such as preventative or annual doctor’s visits, as long as it is safe to do so both personally and within their community.

“The one thing we don’t want is for people to stay away from things that later on because they didn’t do proper screening, would lead to infections or cancers or cardiovascular disease that you could have avoided if you got routine medical care,” Fauci said.

Businesses Should Follow CDC Guidelines to Reopen Safely

The pandemic has been especially hard on businesses, many of which have had to modify operations or even shut down to comply with stay-at-home and social distancing orders. Dr. Fauci recognized the importance of the business community and urged businesses to try to reopen safely — including following the CDC’s recommendations for reopening in a phased approach.

Rather than viewing these guidelines as an obstacle or restriction to reopening, Fauci encouraged people to see them as a “gateway, a vehicle, and a facilitation.” He noted that if businesses follow these guidelines, they are unlikely to shut back down.

“In most instances, [businesses will] continue to progress along to bringing back and opening up America again,” Fauci added.

The event was hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.