A new chapter for US virus control as Fauci announces retirement

United States' top health expert Anthony Fauci announced that he will be stepping down as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the White House's medical adviser in December.

That might shift the media's focus away from him, but not from his legacy.

In the 38 years that he has headed the NIAID, beginning in 1984, Fauci has served seven US presidents, and offered medical advice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some believe that his policies are scientifically sound and have helped the US fight the pandemic. But there are those who are against his advocacy of wearing masks and getting vaccinated. In fact, the opposition was so fierce that protests broke out in many US cities.

Fauci's incompatibility with the previous Donald Trump administration was also very apparent. During the 2020 campaign for US presidency, Trump received a blow from Fauci in the form of an interview in which he was extremely critical of his policies, while reposing faith in the views of then Democrat challenger Joe Biden. Trump was so furious that he threatened to fire Fauci.

Though a scientific problem, COVID-19 is also a social problem. Being a scientist, Fauci cannot solve some problems that can only be solved by the US president, Congressmen, governors, mayors and other people's representatives.

Neither can he mend the deep divide in US society. The different voices in the US help to adjust policies and avoid worse results but they sometimes split society irreversibly. In a nutshell, there is not much a scientist like Fauci can do about a political issue in a deeply divided society. He faced flak for asking people to wear masks and get themselves vaccinated; he would have been at the receiving end even if he had not asked people to do so.

That is why Biden's move to continue with Fauci as his medical adviser after he defeated Trump and became US president was a symbolic move, a solid show of support for him. However, that also kept Fauci's hands busy as the novel coronavirus kept evolving.

Now that Fauci is retiring, he might get much-needed rest and time to pursue his other plans. And US policy against COVID-19 will also enter a new chapter.

- BEIJING NEWS