Highlights:
February 5-6, 2020 (000239) – Fauci asked to recommend names for WHO group with the broad mission to “look at the origins and evolution of 2019n-CoV.” Fauci responds by seeking to reframe the mission in a manner that would only look for natural and not lab made origin.
February 7, 2020 (000189) - Fauci sent an internal NIAID communication reflecting that it was unlikely that the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in a wet market.
February 16, 2020 (000447) – Fauci tells CBS reporter that if the mortality turns out to be 0.2% to 0.4%, then SARS-CoV-2 should be treated like a severe seasonal flu. But when the case fatality rate was later revised to between 0.2% and 0.4% by the CDC, Fauci continued to act as if the virus was something far more dangerous.
February 17, 2020 (000422) – Fauci receives communication from a Chinese citizen that is part of an international student program in the United States stating that, based on his contacts back in Wuhan, including correspondence from a nurse working in a Wuhan hospital, there is far more spread of the virus and far more deaths than China is admitting.
February 21, 2020 (000300) – Fauci asks a Deputy Director at NIAID to “Please handle” an email received by a group of doctors and scientists, including a virologist, that opined that “we think there is a possibility that the virus was released from a lab in wuhan (sic).”
February 23, 2020 (000257) – Fauci states “Transmission is definitely by respiratory droplet” and that “Children have very low rate of infection.”
February 22, 2020 (000274-277) – Fauci confirms that “The vast majority of people outside of China do not need to wear a mask. A mask is more appropriate for someone who is infected than for people trying to protect against infection.”
February 27, 2020 (000649) – Fauci tells Morgan Fairchild to tell her followers to be ready for “social distancing, teleworking, temporary closure of schools, etc.”
February 28, 2020 (001054) – Fauci, while uncertain what animal may have served as the intermediary jump from bats to humans for SARS-CoV-2, keeps repeating the narrative that it was a jump from bats through some natural non-lab means that was the origin of the virus.
February 28, 2020 (001059) – Fauci giving personal update to Mark Zuckerberg regarding developing a COVID-19 vaccine including telling Zuckerberg that “We may need help with resources” and that if there is a delay in the development timeline he just told Zuckerberg about, “I will contact you.”
March 1, 2020 (000922) – CBS’s Chief Medical Correspondent, seeking to please Fauci, emails Fauci a link to his segment which he appears to repeat what Fauci has told him, including that face masks “may give some partial protection by catching droplets containing virus but the virus is so tiny the virus can go right through it or around it” and describing the origin of the virus as “jumping from animals to people.” Fauci responds with “Outstanding!!” apparently pleased that CBS pushed Fauci’s narrative that the virus was a natural jump from bats to humans.
March 1, 2020 (000937) – Despite media reports, Fauci makes it crystal clear he was not being muzzled by the White House.
March 16, 2020 (001554) – Fauci is asked “Given the relative safety of all but the elderly and those whose immune systems are compromised, and that they are far fewer than the rest of the population, why not quarantine only them?” and responds by stating “Stay tuned.”
March 17, 2020 (001537) – The next day, it does not appear Fauci intends to change his tune of pushing everyone, even healthy people with low risk of the virus, to give up all civil liberties and remain prisoners in their home, as reflecting in an email exchange between Fauci and Mark Zuckerberg, in which they share mobile numbers and plan to coordinate efforts to get people to comply with Fauci’s messaging, including social distancing for everyone, but the details of their plan are not included in the email exchange.
March 31, 2020 (001816) – Fauci receives a summary from his agency of the studies regarding how effective masks are to preventing the virus and the conclusion is as follows: “Bottom line: generally there were not differences in ILI/URI/or flu rates when masks were used.”