Takeaways from Fauci’s testimony at contentious House hearing on Covid-19 pandemic

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified on Monday at a House subcommittee hearing about the US response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the origins of the virus.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified on Monday at a House subcommittee hearing about the US response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the origins of the virus. The hearing was Fauci’s first public testimony on Capitol Hill since his retirement from government service. It turned contentious at times as Republicans grilled Fauci over a wide range of topics, including the basis for public health recommendations during the pandemic and email use by public health officials. Here are key takeaways from the hearing: Fauci said there are still some things the US needs to work on to be more prepared for another pandemic in the aftermath of Covid-19, saying in “some respects” the country is better prepared to deal with a health crisis than in 2020, “but in others, I am still disappointed.” One thing that he hopes the US will do better moving forward is tightening communication between the federal response and local public health officials. Fauci said there was a “disconnect between the health-care system and the public health system” during Covid-19 in the US. Specifically, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could not demand information from local agencies, which caused a lag in sharing data.