---
title: "Fauci: Acting Sooner Would “Obviously” Have Meant Fewer Deaths"
description: "Dr. Fauci says it's \"obvious\" that the U.S. government could have saved a great many lives if it had acted sooner to fight the coronavirus pandemic."
date: "2020-04-13"
modified: "2020-04-13"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/fauci-acting-sooner-obviously-fewer-deaths"
categories:
  - "Developments"
  - "Health & Medicine"
tags:
  - "coronavirus"
  - "covid19"
  - "fauci"
  - "health"
---

# Fauci: Acting Sooner Would “Obviously” Have Meant Fewer Deaths

![Dr. Fauci says it's "obvious" that the U.S. government could have saved a great many lives if it had acted sooner to fight the coronavirus pandemic.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/fauci-acting-sooner-obviously-fewer-deaths.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: The White House\</em\>*

While President Trump continues to alternate between congratulating himself for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and [seeking out new scapegoats](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/trump-threatens-pull-funding-world-health-organization>) for the damage it's done, his [top infectious disease expert](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/fauci-shake-hands-ever-again>) says it's "obvious" that many coronavirus-linked deaths could have been prevented.

"Again, it's the 'what would have, what could have,'" Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, [told *CNN*](<https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/12/politics/anthony-fauci-pushback-coronavirus-measures-cnntv/index.html>). "It's very difficult to go back and say that. I mean, obviously, you could logically say that if you had a process that was ongoing and you started mitigation earlier, you could have saved lives."

"Obviously, no one is going to deny that," Fauci added.

Fauci's perspective is a stark reminder of just how severely [the U.S. government failed](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/us-intelligence-warned-cataclysmic-coronavirus-november>) to adequately respond to this global crisis. It doesn't help anyone right now to dwell on hindsight — but we can hope that Fauci's comments serve as a kick in the pants to the government to [ramp up its efforts](<https://futurism.com/feds-end-support-coronavirus-testing-sites>) to fight the coronavirus and finally [learn the many lessons](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/coronavirus-historians-echoes-spanish-flu-past-pandemics>) it missed along the way.

For instance, doctors have long been urging for widespread, [accessible testing](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/coronavirus-testing-nyc-covid19>) to help health officials better track the outbreak. With that data, officials could more effectively distribute resources and healthcare. And yet, even with some antibody [tests ready to go](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/for-sale-tests-ever-had-covid-19>), the government is [shutting down testing sites](<https://futurism.com/feds-end-support-coronavirus-testing-sites>) instead of adding more.

"We make a recommendation," Fauci said when asked why the Trump administration took so long to act. "Often, the recommendation is taken. Sometimes it's not. But we — it is what it is. We are where we are right now."

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)