Dr. Anthony Fauci and two other members of the White House coronavirus task force are self-isolating for two weeks after possible exposure to the illness.
Dr. Fauci has become the public face of the fight against the virus in the US.
His agency, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he was at “relatively low risk” due to the degree of his exposure.
However, the 79-year-old has tested negative.
Dr. Fauci will work from home for the time being and will be regularly tested, the institute said.
VP Mike Pence’s press secretary Katie Miller, the wife of President Donald Trump’s aide Stephen Miller, tested positive for the virus on May 8.
Katie Miller’s diagnosis came after a valet for President Trump was also confirmed to have the illness.
CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield and FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn are also self-isolating.
In a statement, the CDC said Dr. Redfield, 68, had no symptoms and was not feeling unwell, but would also be working from home for two weeks after “low risk exposure” to someone at the White House. It is unclear who this person is.
An FDA spokesman told Reuters on May 8 that 60-year-old Stephen Hahn was also self-isolating. He has also tested negative, the spokesman said.
The three men were due to address a Senate committee on May 12.
Before the news about Dr. Anthony Fauci became public, committee chairman Senator Lamar Alexander said Dr. Redfield and Dr. Hahn would be allowed to testify by videolink.
The US has 1.3 million confirmed cases and has recorded 78,794 deaths – by far the highest total in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Many states brought in lockdown measures in March to try to contain the outbreak. But now some have lifted restrictions to allow people to return to work, a move health officials fear could further spread the virus.
Former President Barack Obama has sharply criticized his successor’s response to the crisis. During a private phone call to former staffers, Barack Obama called the response “an absolute chaotic disaster”.
Last week, President Trump said he would refocus the White House task force on kick starting the US economy, a day after suggesting he would disband it.
President Donald Trump has announced the US will halt funding to the WHO because it has “failed in its basic duty” in its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The president accused the UN health agency of mismanaging and covering up the spread of the virus after it emerged in China, and said it must be held accountable.
In response, the UN chief said it was “not the time” to cut funds to the WHO.
President Trump has been under fire for his own handling of the pandemic.
He has sought to deflect persistent criticism that he acted too slowly to stop the virus’s spread by pointing to his decision in late January to place restrictions on travel from China.
Donald Trump has accused the WHO of having “criticized” that decision and of being biased towards China more generally.
On April 14, President Trump told a news conference at the White House: “I am directing my administration to halt funding while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.”
The WHO is yet to directly respond but UN Secretary General António Guterres said the international community should be uniting “in solidarity to stop this virus”.
He said: “It is my belief that the World Health Organization must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the world’s efforts to win the war against Covid-19.”
The WHO was founded in 1948 and has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the UN agency responsible for global public health, with 194 member states, and aims to “promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable”.
Its funding is made up of membership fees – which are known as “assessed contributions” and calculated based on wealth and population – and voluntary contributions.
The US is the WHO’s biggest single funder, providing $400 million in 2018-19 – just under 15% of its total budget.
According to the WHO website, China’s contribution in 2018-19 was almost $76 million in assessed contributions and about $10m in voluntary funding.
The second-largest WHO funder is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which provides 9.76% of the agency’s funds.
Bill Gates: “Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds. Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them. The world needs @WHO now more than ever.”
The WHO launched an appeal in March for $675 million to help fight the coronavirus pandemic and is reported to be planning a fresh appeal for at least $1 billion.
The number of confirmed cases of
coronavirus in the US has surpassed any other affected country’s on March 26.
With more than 86,000 positive tests, the US has overtaken China (81,782 cases) and Italy (80,589), according to the latest figures collated by Johns Hopkins University.
However, with almost 1,300
Covid-19-related fatalities, the US death toll lags behind China (3,291) and
Italy (8,215).
The grim milestone came as President
Donald Trump predicted the nation would get back to work “pretty
quickly”.
Asked about the latest figures at a
White House briefing on March 26, President Trump said it was “a tribute
to the amount of testing that we’re doing”.
VP Mike Pence said coronavirus tests
were now available in all 50 states and more than 552,000 tests had been
conducted nationwide.
President Trump also cast doubt on
the figures coming out of Beijing, telling reporters: “You don’t know what the numbers are in China.”
Later, the president tweeted that he
had had a “very good conversation” with China’s President Xi Jinping.
He said: “China has been through much & has developed a strong
understanding of the Virus. We are working closely together. Much
respect!”
President Trump has set a
much-criticized goal of Easter Sunday, 12 April, for reopening the country.
That plan seemed to gather impetus on March 26 as it emerged an unprecedented
3.3 million Americans have been laid off because of the virus.
At March 26 briefing, he said: “They [the American people] have to go back to work, our country has to go back, our country is based on that and I think it’s going to happen pretty quickly.
“We may take sections of our
country, we may take large sections of our country that aren’t so seriously
affected and we may do it that way.”
He added: “A lot of people
misinterpret when I say go back – they’re going to be practicing as much as you
can social distancing, and washing your hands and not shaking hands and all of
the things we talked about.”
President Trump promised more details next week.
In a letter to state governors on
March 26, President Trump said his team plans to release federal social
distancing guidelines that may advise some regions to loosen restrictions.
He wrote of a “long battle
ahead” and said “robust” testing protocols might allow some
counties to lift their safeguards against the coronavirus.
President Trump said the “new
guidelines” would create low, medium and high risk zones that would allow
the government to advise on “maintaining, increasing, or relaxing social
distancing and other mitigation measures they have put in place”.
On March 26, President Trump phoned
in to Fox News host Sean Hannity’s program and said he believed Iowa, Idaho,
Nebraska and parts of Texas could reopen earlier than other states.
The plan emerged as new research on
March 26 estimated Covid-19-related deaths in the US could top 80,000 over the
coming four months – even if people observe strict social distancing.
According to the study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine, as many as 2,300 patients could be dying every day by April.
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
