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Covid-19

Who is White House immunologist Anthony Fauci?

The Brooklyn born immunologist and physician is seen by many Americans as a trustworthy voice in the coronavirus crisis.

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April 17, 2020 - Washington, DC, United States: Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases speaks during a press briefing with members of the coronavirus task force in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the Whit
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Not only does he appear in Donald Trump's daily press conferences in his role as the White House's chief medical adviser on the Covid-19 pandemic. His face is also stamped on T-shirts, coffee mugs, and even doughnuts.

The director of the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, is everywhere these days. It's just that for many, this short, 79-year-old epidemiologist with a strong Brooklyn accent is a new national hero: a scientist who tells the truth to a terrified nation and led by a president who sometimes shows little understanding of the facts.

This recent Handout picture released on April 16, 2020, shows a take away cocktail named after Dr Anthony Fauci called "Fauci Pouchy" produced and distributed by the Capo Bar and speakeasy in Washington.
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This recent Handout picture released on April 16, 2020, shows a take away cocktail named after Dr Anthony Fauci called "Fauci Pouchy" produced and distributed by the Capo Bar and speakeasy in Washington.NAT RAUMAFP

Formative years

Fauci was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 24, 1940, into an Italian-American family and became head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984, when the nation was in the throes of the AIDS crisis. He has recalled the huge frustration of caring for dying patients in the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) hospital with nothing to offer. Despite his career in government, Fauci has never lost his ability to communicate efficiently and honestly.

Fast-forward to present day and the 79-year-old is again at the forefront of scientists' efforts to dispel misinformation and explain the Covid-19 pandemic, even when it means challenging the current U.S. president under the glare of global television.

Social media star

With his frequent appearances at the White House, Fauci has been "propelled into the consciousness of all," said Robert Thompson, a television and popular culture expert at Syracuse University in New York.

Fauci is on social media, giving live interviews in his husky voice on Snapchat, answering questions from basketball star Stephen Curry on Instagram, and speaking with comedian Trevor Noah on YouTube.

Many Americans like Fauci for his direct way of explaining a world transformed by the pandemic. He is often in the unbearable position of having to correct U.S. President Trump while standing next to him.

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