America's most recognizable public health official declared intentions to step down from his post as director of the National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Disease (NIAID) in December. The end of his near-40-year reign as the nation's top infectious disease expert was largely met with praise. Yet, some specialists say his legacy will be the devastation caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns he fervently backed during the pandemic.
Dr. Marty Makary, a public health expert at Johns Hopkins University, wrote for Common Sense that the "draconian policies" backed by Fauci - who served as chief medical officer for both President Trump and Biden - have left millions of Americans worse for wear.
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When COVID-19 first erupted around the United States in March 2020, the novel virus caught officials on their back foot. Little was known about the new threat, and news of the devastation it had caused across China, and much of Europe terrified millions stateside.
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In a panic, many officials instituted lockdowns, closing schools, restaurants, and other businesses.
As more was learned regarding the virus, it was realized that Covid was far less deadly than initially thought. A DailyMail.com analysis of data from the CDC and Johns Hopkins discovered that the mortality rate of the virus had dropped as low as 2.8 percent in the United States by September 1, 2020.
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It became clear that while particular groups were at risk, the average person without significant comorbidities should worry about it as much as they do the common flu.
While some red states chose to reopen — and even blue states eventually came along by late 2020 - Fauci stayed a fervent follower for closures, capacity limits, and mask orders around America — with little regard for the ancillary issues that arose as a result of these orders.
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"To COVID-19, he brought a monomaniacal focus on vanquishing a single virus, whatever the cost — neglecting the damage that can follow when public health loses sight of the public's health," Makary wrote.
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'"...What were the impact of those policies on millions of Americans? And what would the country look like now had our public health experts taken a different approach?"
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