Fauci Tests Positive For Covid-19

Topline

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tested positive for Covid-19 on a rapid antigen test Wednesday, the National Institutes of Health announced.

Key Facts

The 81-year-old Fauci is experiencing mild symptoms, but is fully vaccinated and has received two booster doses, the release noted.

It is Fauci’s first known Covid-19 infection.

Older adults are at greater risk of experiencing severe outcomes due to Covid-19, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, and the CDC says Americans aged 75 to 84 are hospitalized eight times more frequently and die 140 times more frequently due to Covid-19 infections than 18 to 29 years olds, though vaccines significantly reduce the risk of death and hospitalizations.

Key Background

The CDC reported 106,246 Covid-19 cases in the seven-day period ending Monday, a 17% increase from a month prior. More than one million Americans have died from Covid-19. Fauci led much of the U.S. response to the pandemic, and has served as President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor since last January.

Further Reading

Here Is What One Million Covid Deaths In The U.S. Looks Like (Forbes)

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