In an email written in March of 2020 that was unearthed by Judicial Watch, Anthony Fauci claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic would subside on its own with simple social distancing, and that a vaccine would not be required for the disease.
As the COVID-19 virus spread across the planet, Anthony Fauci was not concerned with a vaccine, and was instead sending emails suggesting that social distancing would be enough to prevent the disease from spreading. He also urged state and local governments to take a leading role in the response to the pandemic, rather than the federal government.
“Social distancing is not really geared to wait for a vaccine. The major point is to prevent easy spread of infections in schools (closing them), crowded events such as theaters, stadiums (cancel events), work places (do teleworking where possible). States and localities make these decisions,” Fauci explained. “The goal of social distancing is to prevent a single person who is infected to readily spread to several others, which is facilitated by close contact in crowds.”
Fauci then declared that COVID-19 would pass without the need for a vaccine. “Close proximity of people will keep the R0 higher than 1 and even as high as 2 to 3,” wrote Fauci on March 2, 2020. “If we can get the R0 to less than 1, the epidemic will gradually decline on its own without a vaccine.”
"The epidemic will gradually decline and stop on its own without a vaccine"
Anthony Fauci, March 2, 2020https://t.co/zNQarFfB0d pic.twitter.com/rQ4cIP2JB9
— Tennessee Stands – Research (@TrackingCovid) June 2, 2021
In an email from earlier in 2020, Fauci told a former employee of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that face masks would be nearly useless to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as the virus particles were small enough to pass through the fabric of face masks. “Masks are really effective for infected people to prevent them from spreading infection to people who are not infected rather than protecting uninfected people from acquiring infection,” Fauci wrote to Sylvia Burwell, American University’s 15th president who served 11 years at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, including roles as the chief operating officer and president of the Global Development Program, emphasis added by National File. “The typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through the material,” Fauci continued.
The new trove of emails were obtained by Judicial Watch and reveal Fauci’s seemingly haphazard response to his colleagues and the constant reversals of his COVID-19 guidance.