TOO MUCH

Fauci: White House’s Marathon Virus Briefings Are ‘Really Draining’

The top infectious disease expert also said that Trump’s May 1 target for possibly reopening parts of the country is “a bit overly optimistic.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday that coronavirus press briefings are “important for the American public” but can be “really draining,” referring to Trump’s two-and-a-half hour briefing on Monday. “If I had been able to just make a few comments and then go to work, that would have really been much better,” the top infectious disease expert said. “It isn’t the idea of being there and answering questions, which I really think is important for the American public. It’s the amount of time.” Fauci also cautioned that the United States does not have the critical blood tests and capabilities to track contacts of an infected person that are necessary to begin reopening the economy, the Associated Press reported. “We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we’re not there yet,” he told the AP. President Trump has pushed for a May 1 goal of possibly reopening parts of the country, which Fauci called “a bit overly optimistic.” “I’ll guarantee you, once you start pulling back there will be infections. It’s how you deal with the infections that’s going count,” Fauci told the AP.