Fauci gets security threats

Washington: The senior US scientist battling the coronavirus pandemic has been given extra security as he received threats after contradicting President Donald Trump’s dubious interpretations and forecasts over the crisis.

The US Marshals service confirmed Thursday that Anthony Fauci, the widely-respected expert who is the public face of the government’s response to the virus, was granted special security protection.

Fauci, a long-serving government official, stands at Trump’s side at the daily televised White House briefings on the Covid-19 outbreak. He has won a reputation for giving unvarnished and fact-based information about the pandemic, which has already killed 5,100 Americans.

The 79-year old doctor, the country’s foremost expert on infectious disease, has been attacked by conservatives after pushing back against Trump’s assertions about the virus.