A day after announcing his decision to step down, Dr Anthony Fauci appeared on Fox News and defended right-wing accusations that he recommended “shutting down everything” during the early days of the Covid pandemic.
Dr Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984 and served seven US presidents, has remained a target of Republicans and countless conspiracies levelled by right-wingers throughout his tenure.
