Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chief medical adviser to the US President, tests COVID positive with mild symptoms

A prominent medical authority when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Dr. Anthony Fauci reportedly contracted COVID-19 on Wednesday, the 15th of June. Dr. Fauci is the US President's chief medical adviser to Joe Biden. He has mild symptoms of the ailment and is isolated at home.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a statement that said that Fauci had been vaccinated fully, including two booster shots against COVID-19. The agency also stated that Fauci has not been in close contact with the President or any other senior official of the Government in recent times.

Aged 81, Fauci is working from home, where he is in isolation. He would resume work at the NIH after he recovers and tests negative. At the NIH, Dr. Anthony Fauci is a Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a part of the NIH.


It is the first time that Fauci has contracted the infection after the pandemic struck two years ago. During this period, he regularly tested himself for the virus. On Wednesday, as a part of his regular testing, he tested positive in the rapid antigen test.

Fauci's age can be a cause of concern since the risk of COVID-19 increases with age. According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), senior citizens are likely to develop severe complications on testing COVID positive. The agency, however, stated that if the individuals are fully vaccinated and have also taken the mRNA vaccine, there is a 94% reduction in the probability of hospitalisation due to the virus.

Dr. Fauci became the national figure against the pandemic's response when the pandemic struck. He had previously advised Donald Trump, the former President and now advises Joe Biden. Since 1984, Fauci has served as a recognised authority on infectious diseases under the term of seven US Presidents. He has been a leading public figure for more than 40 years, during which he has helped the US battle epidemics like SARS, Zika, HIV, Swine flu, avian influenza and Ebola.

For his contribution, Fauci was named Time's 100 most influential people of 2020.

Before testing, he was scheduled to appear before a Senate Committee to testify about the updated federal response to the pandemic and future planning. In April, Fauci had commented that the US was out of the COVID phase.