Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared on “Meet The Press” and “Face The Nation,” Sunday, speaking almost exclusively about COVID-19.
During his interview with Chuck Todd on “Meet The Press,” Fauci was asked what can be done to figure out whether the COVID-19 virus was leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Fauci claimed that the only thing that can be done to discover COVID-19’s origin is to fully investigate the physical lab and engage in open and transparent communication with the researchers in China.
Todd then asked Fauci’s personal beliefs on the lab leak theory, to which he responded that he has “a completely open mind about that.”
“Despite people saying that I don’t,” he continued.
He went on to note that there is a “preponderance” of evidence that the disease evolved naturally.
Fauci on the lab leak theory about origin of Covid: “I have a completely open mind about that despite people saying that I don’t … but if you look at the preponderance of evidence that has been accumulated … the evidence strongly points to this being a natural occurrence.” pic.twitter.com/V6pGLVHeqf
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 27, 2022
During the same interview, Fauci suggested that the difference in death rates from COVID-19 between supposedly vaccinated Democrats and unvaccinated Republicans are “dramatic,” saying that the intensity of political divisiveness during the pandemic is the worst he’s experienced in his career.
While on “Face The Nation,” host Margaret Brennan asked whether parents should expect schools to shut down as we come out of the holiday season. Fauci said that he really didn’t know how to answer, noting regional differences in viral load. He also urged jurisdictions to weigh the collateral effects of a lockdown versus the disease risk when making decisions. (RELATED: WATCH: Fauci Vs. Dave Chappelle)
It’s unclear whether his tour of Sunday’s news shows marks the last of Fauci’s public appearances as he plans to step down from his role as the Biden Administration’s chief medical advisor and from his positions as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation in December.