The Fauci Effect
Abstract: This Discussion Board post explains a phenomenon that has been observed all across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the country is divided on whether they want to listen to qualified healthcare officials, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, or political figures who downplay the severity of the disease, such as Donald Trump. The post also discusses the adverse effects of the politicization of the coronavirus disease.
Discussion Board Post: Fauci. Dr. Anthony Fauci. We all know this name. We all recognize his face from the news. As the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci has played a critical role in relaying scientific, and purely scientific, information regarding the Coronavirus to the public. I will be honest, I had no idea who Dr. Fauci was prior to January 20, 2020 when the first COVID-19 case was detected in the United States. I have a feeling that most people did not know who he was at the time either but when the virus arrived in the U.S., people began to panic and listen to what this highly qualified and experienced physician-scientist had to say. I call this the “Fauci Effect” because of how much of a tremendously amazing impact that Dr. Fauci has had on public health, and rightfully so.
Dr. Fauci warned us about how rapidly this virus would spread and the detrimental effects that it would cause if it was not contained properly. He urged our country’s leaders to take this virus seriously by instilling safety measures and encouraging the public to wear masks and practice social distancing. But did our leaders listen? Specifically, did the President of the United States listen? No. In fact, one of Donald Trump’s most notoriously famous and ridiculous lines dates back to February 26th when he boasted that the coronavirus would just disapear from the country, despite taking little to no action. He said “You have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero.” Did his prediction hold up? After over 7 million cases and 200,000 deaths within the past six months, I think it safe to say that this man’s words cannot be trusted.
So we have two public figures giving us predictions about how this virus will spread and advice about what the public can do to help, Donald Trump and Dr. Fauci. Who do we believe? A politician with no scientific experience in healthcare or an immunologist who leads a National Institute of Health? To many, the answer is clear and they choose to believe the latter due to the myriad of scientifically proven evidence regarding the virus that Dr. Fauci provides. These are the same people who have been practicing social distancing for months and consistently wear their masks in public. Others chose not to believe the unqualified (in a multitude of ways) president who only recently agreed with the use of masks and is insisting on reopening schools in states where thousands of people are testing positive for COVID-19 each day. But why? Why is it so difficult for people to accept scientifically proven facts? I believe it is because the COVID-19 pandemic has been so politicized by leaders in the United States from the federal level to state governments as well. While republican leaders like Trump reject the safety measures that are required to contain this virus, democratic leaders such as New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo shut down the state entirely and continuously encourage people to follow Dr. Fauci’s scientific facts and advice. As a result, wearing a mask in public suddenly became a political statement as it determined which political party that you are affiliated with. To people from other countries, this politicization of the virus is absolutely ridiculous but it has unfortunately become the norm in the United States. Vietnam, for example, has had zero COVID-19 related deaths because people only listened to qualified scientists and health professionals and consistently followed all of their guidelines, regardless of politics. Their leaders immediately recognized the severity of this virus and properly prepared for impact.
200,000 people in the United States did not have to die. Many of their deaths could have been prevented if this virus was not politicized the way it was and if people only listened to scientists rather than politicians who do not agree with scientists. My question is, who are we to reject science? What gives the president the qualification to reject science? Why should we let our political views impact the way we view a virus that can harm us and the people around us? Surely, the people in Vietnam have differing political views from each other as well but this had no impact on how they handled the spread of COVID-19 in their country. A virus does not recognize political affiliation in a human body. It simply uses us as a host and attacks us to the point where many of us are vulnerable to death. Our political affiliation will not help us in the ICU of a hospital. Why is that so hard for people in the United States to understand? I believe that the only way we can slow the spread of this virus is by using the Vietnamese people as an example. The only solution that we as the public have is to solely listen to scientists like Dr. Fauci and take their advice. We need to destroy the lack of trust between public and health professionals by ending the politicization of this issue. There are many issues that can be politicized, but the health and safety of people is simply not one of them.
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