Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert who became a household name — and the subject of partisan attacks — during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service.
Fauci, who serves as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation. He was a leader in the federal response to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases even before the coronavirus hit.
“I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career,” Fauci said in a statement, calling those roles “the honor of a lifetime.”
Biden praised Fauci in a statement, saying, “Whether you’ve met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans’ lives with his work. I extend my deepest thanks for his public service. The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him..”
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UK economy shrank record 11% in 2020, worst in over 300 years
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China battles heatwave, drought, bushfires
Army personnel and firefighters have been deployed to put out multiple bushfires raging in southwest China’s Chongqing as the municipality and several provinces continue to be scorched by a record heatwave, which has dried up rivers, withered crops and led to rationing of electricity. Forecasters on Monday issued a temperature “red alert” for the 11th consecutive day on Monday and raised the national drought alert to “orange” – the second-highest level.
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Russia detains IS suicide bomber plotting terrorist attack in India: Report
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