Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, says states that ignore the national guidelines for reopening the economy run the risk of spikes in coronavirus cases that may turn into new outbreaks
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WASHINGTON —
The Latest on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee hearing on the coronavirus pandemic (all times local): .
11 a.m.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, says states that ignore the national guidelines for reopening the economy run the risk of spikes in coronavirus cases that may turn into new outbreaks.
“The consequences could be really serious,” Fauci tells the Senate Health, Labor and Pensions committee. Problems will escalate if states do not have the hospital capacity to treat patients and to isolate people exposed to the virus.
“There is no doubt, even under the best of circumstances … you will some cases appear,” as communities reopen, Fauci said. The guidelines are based on 14 days of gradually decreasing cases.
Fauci spoke by video conference to the hearing. He is self-quarantining after a White House staffer testified positive for the virus.
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10:30 a.m.
A Senate hearing featuring Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top health officials got underway in a storied hearing room, but that’s about all that remained of Congress’ pre-pandemic way of conducting oversight.
The senators running the event, Chairman Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Patty Murray of Washington, were isolating at their homes and they spoke remotely.
Same for the marquee witnesses — Fauci, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Stephen Hahn, head of the Food and Drug Administration. Each of the three were exposed to a White House aide who had tested positive for the virus last week.
A few senators, such as Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski and Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy, attended the session in the hearing room. They wore masks, as did an array of aides buzzing behind them.
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10:39 a.m.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says the government is working on several potential vaccines for COVID-19.
“We have many candidates and hope to have many winners,” he tells the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee. “In other words, it is many shots on goal.”
But despite the rapid pace of work on vaccines, Fauci was offering no guarantees.
“The big unknown is efficacy,” he said.
Fauci heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and is the government’s leading expert on the pandemic. He says he hopes to have a vaccine in advanced trials by late fall or early winter.
Fauci spoke by video conference to the hearing. He is self-quarantining after a White House staffer testified positive for the virus.