Earlier this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the nation’s pandemic health response and adviser to seven presidents, announced his retirement from public service in December.
But he still has plenty to say, recently sharing thoughts on why the pandemic isn’t really behind us.
“I think that when you talk about new normal, you have to focus predominantly on COVID,” Fauci said. “We have the emergence of infectious diseases more often than people realize. Many of them are relatively insignificant at a global level.”
Read USA TODAY’s interview with Fauci here.
It’s Thursday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the USA TODAY Network. Here’s more news to know:
See our COVID-19 resource guide here. See total reported cases and deaths here. On vaccinations: About 79% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 67% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
– Cady Stanton, USA TODAY breaking news reporter, @cady_stanton