Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, MD, the head of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden, and the public face of COVID-19 prevention measures since the pandemic began in 2020, has tested positive for the virus.
The 81-year-old took a rapid antigen test on June 15, and the results were positive, according to an NIAID press release.
Fauci is experiencing mild symptoms and will remain at home in quarantine and is expected to continue working remotely while the virus runs its course.
The statement also reveals that he has not recently been in close contact with President Biden or other senior government officials.
Fauci is expected to return to in-office work as soon as he receives a negative test.
According to reports, Fauci received the initial vaccine doses, as well as two booster shots in subsequent months. He has also been prescribed the anti-COVID drug Paxloid.
Fauci is one of several public figures who have recently tested positive for the virus. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that he tested positive for the virus after a meeting with President Biden in Los Angeles.
Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and his wife Susanne also announced their positive results on Wednesday and are also experiencing mild symptoms.
As of last month, the average number of new cases every day in the United States exceeded 100,000, which is approximately four times as many as last year’s case numbers.
Experts believe that the actual number is even higher, as many people rely on home rapid antigen tests similar to the ones used by Fauci, NPR reports.
Fauci has held a significant role as the public face of the coronavirus response over the past two years.
He rose to prominence during former President Donald Trump’s administration. Soon after assuming office, President Biden appointed Fauci chief medical advisor.
Fauci was also the subject of a recent investigation by Open The Books, a non-profit organization dedicated to exposing government corruption.
Their report alleges that Fauci and other public health officials in the NIH have received kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies, which may have posed a conflict of interest.
Many of the details were redacted in the FOIA requests by Open The Books, but pending litigation by the organization aims to make the additional information public, reports Conservative Daily.
