As subvariants of the omicron variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 emerge, the public health community is confronting a new array of challenges. A U.S. District Court judge in Florida recently struck down a federal mask mandate, prompting major airlines and other transportation systems to roll back their mask requirements for travel. New data from Moderna supports the development of a booster shot that combines different strains of the COVID-19-related virus, even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recommend a fourth shot for people who are over 50 or immunocompromised.
Fauci has been the leading public health voice during COVID-19 pandemic and is the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden. As the leader of NIAID, Fauci has a long and distinguished career having led the federal response to most of the major disease outbreaks over the last 40 years, including HIV/AIDS, Ebola and SARS.