Doctor Anthony Fauci’s email leak: Is Covid a man-made virus?

If you’ve seen the news recently, chances are you’ve seen the email leak of Doctor Fauci.

Who is he, and why does it matter?

Anthony Fauci is one of America’s most well-known and respected doctors who has worked along with each president after Ronald Reagen. His most well-known work is his revolutionary clinical trials for HIV. He also played significant roles during the ebola, SARS, and Mers outbreaks. He was also the face of the US covid response team and worked alongside Trump dismissing any false claims made by Trump earning him a positive fanbase. However, some also believe he was undermining Trump’s strategies due to differences in political stance. Nonetheless, he has been named “America’s doctor” and is now facing public criticism and backlash due to the right over his insistence that the COVID virus’s origin is from wild animals, not a lab.

There has been an email leak that threatens Fauci’s career (deeply) which consists of 3,000 pages. The emails offering an insight into the early days of the pandemic in the US. It also involves conversions with celebrities, media outlets, and officials. Fauci does not seem concerned with this data leak however the content of the emails may suggest a reason for concern.

The important content of the emails are the following:

Is covid a man-made virus?
Fauci on masks

The theory that Covid-19 might’ve originated in a lab began early on. This claim had been dismissed as there was no probable evidence to support it and was deemed “extremely unlikely” by experts. However, this theory is being taken into reconsideration due to these emails, one of which is an email from January 2020 when the director from the largest biomedical research facility in the US. In the email, he states that the virus has “unusual features that may indicate that it is engineered.” He then suggests Fauci call him. In April 2020 an email from the director of the National Institute of Health of the USA (having) the subject line being “conspiracy gains momentum”. However, Fauci’s response has fully been redacted which might suggest that he disproved it. May 2021 the doctor has said that he is “not convinced” that the virus has a natural origin and has prompted an investigation.

In the beginning of the pandemic, the US hadn’t published any mandatory laws to officiate the usage of masks, which was heavily criticized. February 2020 Fauci emailed the former US health secretary saying “Masks are really for infected people to prevent them from spreading infection to people who are not infected rather than protecting uninfected people from acquiring infection.” Furthermore elaborating on how the store-bought masks are ineffective in preventing the virus to enter as the virus is small enough to pass through the material. Then the emails are from March from a friend in the Chinese public health field, writing that he has been misquoted by the media for saying the West is making a “big mistake” in not instigating mask use. To which Doctor Fauci replied “I understand. No problem. We will get through this together.”

For the majority of the GOP, Fauci is an enemy and a villain, as they think he broadcasts conflicting messages about the virus. They are not pleased with how he “twists science.” They also say that he undermined Trump and his abilities when he was President. However, for liberals, Fauci is a hero. He reinforces his views according to science and data, being open to criticism and doing what is right for the US rather than what the people wanted to hear,

President Biden has stated he is confident in Fauci and that he is an undeniable asset to the white house. However, the Wuhan lab leak theory is getting attention as President Biden has ordered an investigation.

Work Adapted: BBC News. “Why Are People Talking about Dr Anthony Fauci’s Emails?” BBC News, BBC News, 2 June 2021, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57336280. Accessed 24 June 2021.