Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Friday that many parts of the United States did not do enough to fight the coronavirus, but New York did, he said.
“We have to do things that are very clear that we have to do to change this,” he told PBS News Hour. Remember, we can do it. We know that when you do it right, you drop those cases. We did it. We did it in New York. “
“New York was hit worse than anywhere else in the world. And they did it correctly doing the things that you’re talking about,” he said during the interview.
New York has seen more than 400,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 28,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Fauci’s comments came amid a broader debate about which states responded appropriately to the coronavirus. New York recently defended its response with a poster crediting its residents with mitigating the impact of the virus.
However, many have criticized New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for forcing nursing homes to accept patients who tested positive for the coronavirus, making them among the most vulnerable.
Scientists, healthcare professionals and elected officials attacked a report released last week that purported to show that Cuomo’s order was not a significant factor in nursing home deaths. That was criticized for the flawed methodology and selective statistics that eluded the real impact of the March 25 order, which the state itself took more than 6,300 virus-recovering patients to nursing homes at the height of the pandemic. .
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Cuomo reversed the order under pressure on May 10, long after the death toll in New York nursing homes rose to among the highest in the nation. To date, nearly 6,500 deaths have been linked to coronavirus in the state’s nursing home and long-term care facilities.
New York, once a pandemic hotspot, has so far avoided an increase in new cases like those affecting other states in the south and west. But the Democratic governor has repeatedly warned that New Yorkers could be at risk if they abandon social alienation and other practices adopted to control the spread of the virus.
Statewide daily statistics show that New York has 754 recently confirmed cases, representing 1.08 percent of all tests performed. The number of people hospitalized on Friday decreased 22 compared to the previous day.
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Fauci told PBS presenter Judy Woodruff that states may need to “restart” their reopening phases to see the number of cases decrease.
Wearing universal masks, closing bars, and avoiding crowds were part of the efforts he recommended for states. “I think if we do that for a couple of weeks in a row, Judy, I think we will see a change because we know that works,” Fauci said.
Woodruff backed down, arguing that Americans have already been hearing that message but that it “isn’t working.”
Fauci responded by stating that the efforts have been “a little patchy.”
“It has not been uniform,” he added, “where everyone in that region says wait a minute, we are having a serious problem. We have to restart this.”
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While the administration advocated that states and localities tailor solutions to their own needs, instead of taking the lead from the White House, Fauci seemed to favor a more unified approach.
“And it’s not that some people say they wear masks, others say they don’t. Some people say the bars are closed, others don’t. We have to do it in all areas in those areas,” he added.
Cuomo’s top aide Melissa DeRosa tweeted the interview Saturday and praised the state and the governor.
“Governor Cuomo and New Yorkers receive high praise from Dr. Fauci -> Keep it up, NY!” she wrote.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
