Anthony Fauci Says White House Hosted COVID Super-spreader
Washington: Top US virus expert Dr Anthony Fauci has criticised the White House for hosting a gathering last month that has been linked to an outbreak of Covid-19.
Dr Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said the unveiling of President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court was a "super-spreader event".
At least 11 people who attended the event on 26 September tested positive.
Mr Trump is himself recovering from Covid-19.
His doctors have just cleared him to hold public events, less than a month before he faces Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the presidential election.
Mr Trump has expressed scepticism about measures such as masks and lockdowns to combat the spread of Covid-19, which has killed more than 213,000 people in the US. He has talked up the prospects of a vaccine becoming available, although researchers say this is unlikely to happen before next year at the earliest.
Polling suggests Mr Biden has a single-digit lead over Mr Trump and an ABC News/Ipsos poll found that just 35% of Americans approved of how Mr Trump has handled the crisis.
CBS News asked on Friday what Dr Fauci thought of the White House's reluctance to insist on mask-wearing and social distancing as virus precautions, and instead rely on regular testing.
"The data speak for themselves - we had a super-spreader event in the White House, and it was in a situation where people were crowded together and were not wearing masks."
An event at the White House on Saturday 26 September, for the president's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court justice, is thought to be the root of the localised outbreak.
As well as President Trump and his wife Melania, those who attended and later tested positive included two senators, the White House press secretary and former Trump counsellor Kellyanne Conway.
Dr Fauci also noted experts have been recommending mask-wearing for the last six months, and condemned talk of a coronavirus "cure" - a word Mr Trump has used in reference to the experimental Covid-19 treatments he received during his recent stay at a military hospital.
Large gatherings are still banned in the US capital due to Covid-19, but federal property like the White House is exempt.
