Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has been the face of the U.S. government’s coronavirus response across two administrations, has just tested positive for COVID-19.
Dr. Fauci, 81, serves as the Chief Medical Advisor to the President, along with his regular duties as the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the U.S. government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH).
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reports it’s the first time Fauci has tested positive since the pandemic began over two years ago.
The National Institutes of Health “says he has mild symptoms and has been boosted twice,” she adds.
ABC News adds Fauci has not been in close contact with President Joe Biden.
Fauci has become something of a folk hero among the left, but anti-vaxxers, anti-maskers, and many if not most conservatives have turned him into a villain, with some even falsely claiming he’s responsible for the actual coronavirus pandemic.
This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change.