Top American health officials are trying to focus efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic via the asymptomatic spread, which may contribute as much as 50% of infections.
NIAID Director Anthony Fauci and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams were in lockstep during a series of appearances on Sunday morning talk shows, pushing the message that the asymptomatic spread is an unchecked element that is driving the severity of the pandemic.
WASHINGTON – SEPTEMBER 9: US Surgeon General Jerome Adams (L) and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins (R) appear before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to discuss vaccines and protecting public health during the coronavirus pandemic on September 9, 2020 in Washington DC. (Photo by Michael Reynolds- Pool/Getty Images)
“We say it, not being facetiously or having a soundbite or anything, but you know: close the bars, keep the schools open, is what we really say,” Fauci told Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week.” “Obviously, you don’t have one size fits all, but as I’ve said in the past, and as you accurately quoted me – the default position should be as best as possible, within reason, to keep the children in school and get them back to school.”
Fauci noted that the spread of COVID-19 between children was “low,” especially compared to other areas. Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered all public schools to move to total virtual learning, a move that drew a sharp backlash from parents across the city. …
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