Fauci hopes Trump will encourage supporters to get COVID jabs

US infectious disease expert’s comments come as recent polls show high percentage of Republicans wary of vaccination.

The top infectious disease expert in the United States has urged former US President Donald Trump to encourage his supporters to get vaccinated against COVID-19, as recent polls show high levels of hesitancy among Republicans. Dr Anthony Fauci said on Sunday “it would make all the difference in the world” if the former president used his “incredible influence” among Republicans to push them to accept coronavirus jabs. “If he came out and said: ‘Go and get vaccinated. It’s really important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country,’ it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him,” Fauci said during an interview on the Fox News Sunday programme.