Fauci amplifies Birx’s warning about ‘new phase’ of coronavirus spread in U.S.

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Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, defended and amplified Deborah Birx’s statements about what she characterized as a “new phase” of the pandemic in the United States.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Fauci said that the kind of spread some states are experiencing is extremely difficult to contain. “When you have community spread it’s insidious, there are people who are spreading it who have no symptoms at all … It’s difficult to do identification, isolation and contact tracing,” Fauci said.

Fauci’s comments came the same day President Trump lashed out at Birx, seemingly over her weekend remarks on CNN in which she warned that even rural areas would suffer. “It is extraordinarily widespread,” Birx said. Continue reading.