Anthony Fauci On The Pandemic’s Future. June 12, 2020, Part 1

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🗓️ 12 June 2020

⏱️ 47 minutes

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Summary

During the pandemic, immunologist Anthony Fauci has gained fame as “America’s doctor.” He’s a leading scientist in the government’s response to COVID-19, and a celebrated teller of truths—uncomfortable as they may be—like how long the world may have to wait for a vaccine, or the lack of evidence for using the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 patients. He’s also not new to public health crises created by new pathogens. If history is any indicator, it is not a matter of if, but when another outbreak of disease will come, Fauci says. “There will be emerging and re-emerging infections in our history, it’s been that way forever. We’re seeing it now. And we will continue to see emerging and re-emerging infections,” Fauci tells Ira during the interview. “We can expect, but you can’t predict when. It may be well beyond the lifespan of you and I. But sooner or later, we’re going to get other serious outbreaks. So we have to maintain the memory of a degree of preparedness that would allow us to respond in an effective way the next time we get something like this.” He and Ira reflect on the AIDS epidemic, lessons learned from past pandemics, and what the path out of the COVID-19 crisis may look like.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Science Friday. I'm Ira Flato. I want to talk about something for a few minutes before we get
0:06.4	started today. Here at Team Cy Fry, we support the protests demanding racial justice because
0:13.7	Black Lives Matter. We know in the long history of Science Friday, we haven't included diverse
0:19.7	voices as much as we should have.
0:22.5	As a media platform with a large audience, we recognize our equally large responsibility to act
0:29.5	in service of social good. We're sorry and we know we can do better. A few years ago, we made it
0:36.0	a mission to seek out the voices of black and
0:38.3	minority scientists to show you, our listeners, a wider range of perspectives that a lot of
0:44.3	times is missing from science news. We made talking about racial disparity research, a focus for
0:50.9	our radio and digital reporting. We aired stories about how black communities have unequal access to health care,
0:58.1	how climate change harms the communities disproportionately,
1:02.1	and the unfair and racist hiring practices in academia.
1:06.1	But we fell short and need to do more.
1:10.1	So we're doubling down on elevating and amplifying
1:12.7	black voices and experiences in science. It's our duty as journalists to represent black
1:18.7	perspectives in science. And I know you would expect nothing less from us. Now back to the program.
1:26.9	Later in the hour, we'll talk to Dr. Anthony Fauci,
1:29.5	director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,
1:33.6	about the future of the pandemic
1:35.2	and why so many states are seeing spikes in cases.
1:39.0	But first here to talk about scientists going on strike around the world,
1:43.0	and other news headlines is Sarah Zang,
	...

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