KEY POINTS

  • Dr. Anthony Fauci explained when kids can go back to school
  • The doctor said that coronavirus is different from HIV and SARS
  • The expert added that protests will only backfire and delay the opening of businesses

Dr. Anthony Fauci answered various coronavirus questions from kids on Will Smith’s show on Snapchat.

On Wednesday (April 22), the top infectious disease expert appeared on “Will From Home” to discuss about some semblance of normalcy during the lockdown. They also invited kids to join them in their discussions.

Among the things kids’ were eager to know was if it’s possible for them to go back to school this fall. Fauci gave them a lengthy but easy-to-understand explanation.

“That’s totally dependent on what happens on whether or not we get a rebound on the virus or not,” Fauci said.

He added that there’s still not enough people who have gotten infected with the virus to develop “herd immunity.” If enough people in the country have developed antibodies against COVID-19, it would stop the spread of the virus.

“If there’s still virus that’s lingering around there as we get to a new school season, there are going to be some locations that are, appropriately, going to be hesitant to get the kids back to school,” he continued.

“If things look really quiet, not a lot of infections, many locations will be going back to school.”

Fauci went on and shared that for him, it’s a bad year. However, he is confident that things will eventually improve and they will have a better control of the disease. However, he does not believe that it will go away for good because it’s a transmissible virus.

He also gave an update on the vaccine they are working on while assuring the audience that the pandemic shall pass, too.

“We are working on a vaccine. I believe once we have enough baseline in the community, then this is going to be something you won’t have to worry about for the rest of your life,” he added. “This is something that’s going to go away. I promise you.”

In another interview, Fauci said that COVID-19 should not be compared to HIV and SARS. He insisted that they are very different and the rate of coronavirus transmission is “unprecedented.”

When he appeared on “Good Morning America,” Fauci also said that protests would only backfire and delay the reopening of businesses. He reminded everyone that the virus needs to be under control to have a real “recovery economically.”

Anthony Fauci, the head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has emerged as a new national hero during the coronavirus crisis
Anthony Fauci, the head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has emerged as a new national hero during the coronavirus crisis AFP / JIM WATSON