The US “could have saved lives” if it had introduced measures to stop Covid-19 earlier, a top health official says.
“If we had, right from the beginning, shut everything down, it may have been a little bit different,” Dr Anthony Fauci told CNN. But he said making that decision had been complicated.
"We make a recommendation," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, when asked by @JakeTapper about reports that he and other top officials called for social distancing in February. "Often the recommendation is taken. Sometimes it's not. But it is what it is. We are where we are right now." pic.twitter.com/sw8xYZILB4
The US has over 555,000 virus cases and 22,000 deaths, many in New York.
Dr Fauci also suggested parts of the US could begin returning to normal as early as May.
On 16 March, the Trump administration issued social distancing guidance, which has since been extended through April.
When asked about a New York Times report that Dr Fauci and other officials had suggested aggressive mitigation towards the end of February, Dr Fauci said health officials could only make recommendations from a “pure health standpoint”.
“Often, the recommendation is taken. Sometimes, it’s not. But it is what it is, we are where we are right now.”
Dr Fauci, who is leading the US response to coronavirus, added that “no one is going to deny” that logically, earlier mitigation could have saved lives.
But he said “what goes into those kinds of decisions is complicated”.
“There was a lot of pushback about shutting things down back then.”
