Fauci warns the next pandemic

In an interview for “Der Spiegel”, Dr. Anthony Fauci, adviser to US President Donald Trump's pandemic, speaks of the anger of his opponents, his difficult relationship with the White House chief, mistakes made by the US during the effort to curb the spread of Covid-19, and his cautious optimism that a vaccine will soon be available.

Der Spiegel: You advised the Trump administration in 2017 to increase its readiness for a possible pandemic. Have you predicted such a scenario, with quarantine worldwide, crowded hospitals, and a very violent social division?

Faucie: I predicted the appearance of a new infectious disease, as we had many of them. During my duty as director of the Institute of Infectious Diseases for 36 years, I have experienced the HIV epidemic, pandemic flues, Ebola and Zika.

And I always knew that we would have the inevitable and permanent challenge of epidemic explosions in the future. The actual gap is of historical proportions. It's the worst thing we've seen in the last 102 years since 1918.

Der Spiegel: As an AIDS researcher, do you think the coronavirus is worse than HIV?

Faucie: AIDS is a completely different disease. The reason that the coronary pandemic is so unique is because it spread worldwide. And it seems that everyone is vulnerable to it. In the last 7-8 months, Coronervirus has paralyzed the world, destroyed economies.

Der Spiegel: With over 5.5 million cases and more than 180,000 deaths, the United States is the most affected country in the world. What are you thinking, the main reasons why things went so wrong in the United States?

Faucie: The United States is a very large country, and very diverse. This is one of our strengths. But in an epidemic, it's one of our weaknesses. We had different waves of infection, and the cases were never at an initial low level like in Germany or Italy. We started with 20,000 cases a day.

We advised careful reopening of the economy. Some countries listened to our instructions, and they acted reasonably. But some countries ignored them, and the citizens there did as they pleased. And that's why there were 400,000, 50,000, 6,000 and even 7,000 new cases a day.

Der Spiegel: Don't you really feel helpless when you see the current situation in the United States? Don't you lose weight?

Faucie: No, I never feel helpless. Infirm means there's nothing you can do. But there's a lot that can be done. I don't even sink into despair. I'm a scientist and a public health official. I don't have an emotional response to an epidemic. I am a careful optimist, a realistic person.