On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service

Chapter 1 of Part 5 deals with the development of the COVID-19 crisis. Fauci recalls how, on January 2020, during a Situation Room meeting on a new viral outbreak in Wuhan, China, he met President Trump. Trump’s warm reception and praise surprised Fauci, especially given his mixed expectations based on the president’s public persona. Fauci quickly recognized the severity of the situation, noting China’s swift construction of hospitals as a warning sign.

Fauci and his colleagues kept observing the virus’s exponential spread and its severe implications, which led to the decision to implement a travel ban for visitors from China. Concurrently, Fauci and teams from the NIH began to work on a vaccine using innovative mRNA technology in collaboration with Moderna. Recognizing the CDC’s struggles with testing capabilities and tracking, Fauci focused on his role in communicating the pandemic’s risks to the public.

With the White House’s emphasis on controlling public perception, Fauci navigated the challenges of offering transparent health information amid the administration’s sometimes contradictory messaging. He notes that his relationship with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence was marked by both cooperation and the occasional tension of differing priorities, as Fauci struggled to keep the American public informed on the evolving pandemic.