Anthony Fauci and other Top US Scientists attended Senate coronavirus Hearing

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On Tuesday, a panel of US Senators grilled the nation’s top scientists on the US government’s coronavirus response and outlook. Point to be noted that one person was conspicuously missing from the scene, Donald Trump. President receded into the background and let scientists do the talking. Trump earlier in the morning touted his approval ratings among Republican voters and lauded the US testing regime as the “Best in the World, by FAR”. A Republican Senator Mitt Romney criticized Trump administration for misleading the public on testing data. The White House infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said the actual death toll from Covid-19 is likely higher than the official count. His statement contradicted earlier statements from the President.

Dr. Fauci suggested that scientists and pharmaceutical companies could wrap up clinical testing of coronavirus vaccines as early as the late fall. It would represent a monumental achievement for vaccine development and shatter Fauci’s previous prediction by months. Trump didn’t have any public events scheduled for Tuesday to air his thoughts on the hearing. It is noteworthy that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, Health and Human Services official Admiral Brett Giroir, and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn testified about how the US could safely get Americans back to work and classrooms. Dr. Anthony Fauci also participated in the meeting online.

At the beginning of a congressional hearing, lawmakers publicly questioned members of the White House coronavirus task force regarding the coronavirus epidemic. It allowed the officials to answer questions without Trump lurking over their shoulders. They were ready to put their responses through the political spin cycle. Fauci informed the panel that the number of Covid-19 deaths is likely higher than the official count as reported by the Centre for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He also expressed concern that if states lift stay-at-home orders too quickly while failing to adhere to CDC guidelines, then it will start little spikes that might turn into outbreaks.