Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared on CBS News Sunday and responded to the criticism directed at him by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem during this weekend’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida.
During her CPAC address, Noem questioned Fauci’s integrity and said that her administration focused on hospital capacity rather than the actual COVID-19 numbers.
“I don’t know if you agree with me, but Dr. Fauci is wrong a lot,” said Noem. “South Dakota is doing well,” Noem said. “We’ve had some tragic situations, but I know that respecting them in my role, in the authority that I have as governor, has been incredibly helpful to get our state…through this challenging time.”
Fauci dismissed Noem’s comments as not helpful and unfortunate. “I’m sure you could get a standing ovation by saying I’m wrong, but…if you look at the scientific facts and follow what we need to do, as these cases are coming down, the thing we don’t want is for them to…start plateauing at a level that’ll give us a lot of trouble,” he added.
Fauci said that the coronavirus needs to be slowed substantially before a sustained reopening can occur.
