and reporters, of course, reached out with questions for the doctor considered the country’s foremost expert. one email exchange, however, shows how even fauci couldn’t see all that was coming.  just a day after the first reported covid-19 death in the united states, the managing editor of abc news’ medical unit emailed fauci and asked him if he agreed with what a source at the department of homeland security told him: that epidemiology models showed that 98 million people could be infected with covid-19 and deaths from the virus could reach 500,000.  “that seems exceptionally high,” fauci responded.  his guidance was not always welcomed by his own bosses at the white house. he faced a wide range of harassment, including angry tweets from trump that questioned his expertise.  those conflicts also get referenced in the emails. in april, a top chinese health official emailed fauci about vaccines. as part of that thread, the official expressed concern about him “being attacked by some people.”  “thank you for your kind note. all is well despite some crazy people in this world,” fauci replied.  even as he gained enemies and roused critics, many of the emails also reflect his growing stature around the world.  “dear — highly respected — dr. fauci,” a doctor from austria writes in bolded text. “why do i try to childishly support a respected expert and personally highly honored gentleman like you — dr. fauxi? because for me — it is heartbreaking and unbelievably disturbing, what was and is going on of the last 4 months in the usa.”  he goes on to lay out a strategy for nations to cope with the devastating effects of the pandemic.  “not a crazy note. please respond on my behalf,” fauci writes to a staff member.  on may 5, 2020, mary harris, an niaid employee, wrote: “i am grateful to say my director is dr. anthony fauci and share with my family, friends, and church that if you said it, it’s gospel.”  along the way, the scientist was becoming a celebrity. just a couple of months into the pandemic, t-shirts, bobbleheads, socks, and even prayer candles with his face plastered on them were being sold. fauci’s emails show he was clearly uncomfortable with the attention.  “click on the ‘cuomo crush’ and ‘fauci fever’ link below. it will blow your mind. our society is really totally nuts,” fauci wrote in an april 8, 2020, email he forwarded to undisclosed recipients after he received a google alert about news stories mentioning his name.  the previous month, a colleague had emailed fauci a washington post article headlined “fauci socks, fauci doughnuts, fauci fan art: the coronavirus experts attract a cult following.” the top of the article tells the story of a rochester, new york, shop that had sold out of donuts with fauci's face on them.  “truly surrealistic,” fauci wrote. “hopefully this all stops soon.” later, he added: “it is not at all pleasant, that is for sure.”  but it didn’t stop, and, at times, fauci actually couldn’t help but get a kick out of it, including when brad pitt played him on saturday night live.  “one reviewer of the snl show said that pitt looked 'exactly like me.' that statement made my year, ” fauci wrote to a colleague.  the emails also reveal behind-the-scenes negotiations over a documentary about fauci’s work. he first sent a note to his team about the project on april 12, a month after the world health organization had declared the coronavirus a pandemic.  “let us discuss this tomorrow before we do anything. no one has any ‘exclusives’ on anything about me,” he wrote to his team.  still, there is little in his correspondence that strays from the central issues: the pandemic and how best to save lives. his exchanges with ezekiel emanuel, the former obama health adviser, reflect the high stakes.  emanuel, an oncologist, bioethicist, and vice provost of the university of pennsylvania, sent fauci an email on feb. 25, 2020, asking for an updated assessment of the virus and noting that he was having a “hard time seeing this as serious as everyone else.”  “am i blind? yes very transmissible but low mortality like flu in many ways - the elderly, those with comorbidities, and total impact is likely to be less than flu," emanuel wrote.  later, in april, emanuel sent fauci an email saying he was “perplexed” by his “seeming strong endorsement” of the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat covid-19.  “was it just a bit forced?” emanuel asked. “my reading was the data was weak and in normal times for normal disease it is not enough to approve. and very unlikely to really impact covid-19 disease pattern--regardless of supply issues.”  fauci countered: “i did not ‘strongly’ endorse it. i specifically said it was not a knockout drug and was only a baby step in the direction of developing more and better drugs. i said that it was important because it proved in a well-powered, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial that one can suppress the virus enough to see a clinical effect, as modest as the effect was. i do not think i forced anything.”  the next day, emanuel sent another email, apologizing for misinterpreting fauci’s comments about the drug and inviting him over for dinner “on the porch.”  “you are a national — international — treasure. and we are depending on your sanity and smarts.” ●
anthony fauci’s emails reveal the pressure that fell on one man