Dr Anthony Fauci has said his own experience getting Covid shows why it continues to be important for Americans to get vaccinated.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the chief medical adviser said his Covid illness had fortunately been mild because he was double vaccinated and boosted.
“I’m feeling really fine,” Dr Fauci said when asked about his condition. “So all is well with Fauci, and thank you for asking”.
The infectious disease expert said he had only experienced one day of symptoms after testing positive for the virus a week ago, and was otherwise feeling okay.
“I think I’m an example, given my age, of what we’re all talking about today,” Dr Fauci said of the need to get vaccinated and boosted. “I’m vaccinated. I’m doubly boosted.”
He finished by saying: “And I believe if that were not the case, I very likely would not be talking to you looking as well as I look, I think, right now.”
The 81-year-old – who because of his age is among the high risk group for Covid – had recently avoided large public events such as the White House Correspondents’ Dinner because of that fact.
“Each of us, in our own personal way, has to make an assessment of what risk you’re willing to accept about getting infected,” he told CNN. “In general, the risk is low, but I made a personal assessment. I’m 81 years old, and if I get infected, I have a much higher risk.”
Dr Fauci said he had taken a short course of an antiviral treatment known as Paxlovid after testing positive for Covid last week.
Paxlovid has proven effective at stopping death and serious illness in high risk Covid patients, and the White House says about 30,000 people are being prescribed the drug a. day.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have meanwhile reported a majority of Covid deaths among people aged 65 and over (or 81 per cent).
One million Americans have died from Covid, the CDC says, and about 85,000 people are testing positive for the virus daily. Roughly 78 per cent of all Americans have received one dose, but only 47 per cent have had a second and booster.
