White House targets US disease chief Dr Anthony Fauci : Report

As COVID-19 cases rocket upward, the White House is facing blow back from an apparent campaign to take down Anthony Fauci a notch or two.

The distracting row emerged after a Saturday Washington Post article included a White House laundry list of alleged mistakes by the nation’s top immunologist—including early guidance against the public wearing masks, which Fauci has admitted was a misstep, the Post reports.

The White House denies launching a smear campaign against Fauci, but Trump continues to retweet attacks on Fauci.

Meanwhile, the public health community has jumped to his defense.

“Scientists need to stand together in defense of science but most importantly in the defense of people’s lives,” Consortium of Universities for Global Health chief Keith Martin said in a statement that called on the US medical community to defend Fauci.

But according to NPR, officials say Fauci remains a valued voice in the administration—and retains a singular focus on public health.

Courtesy:Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health