Fauci testifies on Capitol Hill as country reopens amid coronavirus spikes in some states

Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top U.S. infectious disease expert, testifies Tuesday on Capitol Hill where he’s expected to face questions about a surge in coronavirus cases in parts of the U.S. and such bigger-picture issues as when a vaccine will be discovered and the potential for a so-called “second wave” of the deadly virus.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will testify before a House committee along with the leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and a top official at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the Associated Press.

Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has since the pandemic started in March strongly urged social-distancing measures to slow the spread of the virus. 

Such tactics, including the wearing of face masks in public and sheltering in place, have helped slow the virus. But Fauci's cautious approach to reopening the country has at times put him at odds with President Trump and other Republican lawmakers eager to restart the country’s struggling economy. 

Among the states with recent increases in coronavirus numbers are Arizona, Florida and Texas.

Fauci has recently warned that the U.S. is still in the first wave of the pandemic and has continued to urge the American public to practice social distancing. And, in a recent ABC News interview, he said political demonstrations such as protests against racial injustice are “risky” to all involved.

He said the Trump rally this past weekend was also of concern. 

Fauci continues to recognize widespread testing as critical for catching clusters of  virus cases before they turn into full outbreaks in a given community, the wire service also reports.

About 2.3 million Americans have been sickened in the pandemic, and roughly 120,000 have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.