Fauci: Lack of candor and facts "likely did" cost lives in coronavirus fight

In an appearance on CNN, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert was directly asked whether a “lack of candor or facts” contributed to the number of lives lost during the coronavirus pandemic over the past year.

“You know it very likely did,” Fauci said. “You know I don’t want that, John, to be a sound bite but I think if you just look at that you can see that when you’re starting to go down paths that are not based on any science at all. That is not helpful at all, and particularly when you’re in a situation of almost being in a crisis with the number of cases and hospitalizations and deaths that we have.

“When you start talking about things that make no sense medically and no sense scientifically, that clearly is not helpful,” he continued.