Azar on Fauci Leaving Open Possibility of Nat’l Lockdown: Nat’l Lockdown ‘Unnecessary’ and ‘Causes Incredible Harm’

On Monday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Varney & Co.,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar reacted to White House Coronavirus Task Force member Dr. Anthony Fauci leaving open the possibility of a nationwide lockdown by saying that a nationwide lockdown is “unnecessary and it causes incredible harm, not just to the economy, but to human health.”

Azar stated, [relevant exchange begins around 1:45] “Well, it’s just unnecessary and it causes incredible harm, not just to the economy, but to human health. And we have the tools, and Dr. Fauci has talked about this, we have the tools to keep from locking down and that’s washing our hands, watching our distance, wearing our face coverings when we can’t watch our distance. But I’d add two more things, Stuart. If you are at risk, that means over 65 or have a serious medical condition, and you get a positive diagnosis, you need to ask your healthcare provider, why are you not putting me on these monoclonal antibody therapies right away? And second, if you are eligible for vaccination, get vaccinated. Those are two things that you can do on top of the three Ws that can help keep our case counts down and keep people from wanting to lock us down again.”

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