White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci will observe a “modified” quarantine after “low-risk” exposure to a White House staff who tested positive for coronavirus.
Dr. Fauci, the third high-ranking member of the White House coronavirus task force, will enter some form of quarantine.
An administration official told NBC News that Dr. Fauci would start working from home. He may go into his office, but he must practice social distancing and wear a face mask.
Moreover, Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will self-quarantine after being exposed to a White House aide who contracted the virus. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director Stephen Hahn will also do the same, according to two administration officials.
Redfield and Hahn will testify before a Senate hearing on Tuesday regarding the reopening of the US via videoconference from self-quarantine.
"Modified" quarantine
Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci’s quarantine is “modified” because he aims to testify in person before the Senate hearing. This is reportedly subject to change.
The virus started hitting President Donald Trump’s camp when one of his personal valets and Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller, both tested positive.
White House spokesman Judd Deere said that the president’s physician and staff are doing their best to ensure the good health and safety of the president, his family, and the White House.
“In addition to social distancing, daily temperature checks and symptom histories, hand sanitizer, and regular deep cleaning of all work spaces, every staff member in close proximity to the president and vice president is being tested daily for COVID-19 as well as any guest,” Deere said.
As of Thursday, Trump and Pence tested negative for coronavirus. Observers criticized the president and vice president for not wearing masks during public events. Trump did not wear a mask when he visited the Honeywell factory that manufactures masks. Meanwhile, Pence did not wear a mask during a visit to the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Fauci's role
Dr. Fauci is a critical member of Trump's White House task force for addressing issues surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.
He was the one who said that reopening the economy in May is “a bit overly optimistic."
Fauci pointed out that there are no critical testing and tracing procedures yet in the country that can help combat the coronavirus pandemic in the US. These are necessary in discussing if reopening the economy in May is possible.
The top health expert warned the public about increasingly optimistic forecasts from the White House. “We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we’re not there yet,” he said in an interview with AP.
Moreover, Dr. Fauci finds the data on remdesivir as a tool for coronavirus treatment “quite good news.”
During a White House briefing, Dr. Fauci lauded the results of the trial testing of remdesivir as cure for coronavirus patients.
He said that Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug sets a new standard of care for COVID-19 patients.
Dr. Fauci told reporters that the data manifested a “clear-cut positive effect in diminishing time to recover.”
