What’s new: Anthony Fauci, a U.S. immunologist who serves as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said in an interview with Science that he has never used the term “Chinese virus” to describe Covid-19 and he never will.
Fauci also said U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement suggesting China could have revealed the discovery of the coronavirus three or four months earlier than it did “doesn’t comport” with the facts, because that would translate to China knowing about the virus in September.
Background: Fauci made his comment on the use of “Chinese virus” to describe Covid-19 in response to a reporter’s question on whether he ever had or ever would use the terms “China virus” or “Chinese virus.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called the coronavirus the “Chinese virus,” which has angered Beijing and generally goes against global efforts to avoid associating the virus with a particular location due to concerns about stigmatization.
Science said China did not reveal its discovery of the new virus until late December, and made the virus’s sequencing public by Jan. 10.
Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the full Caixin article in Chinese, click here.
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Contact reporter Timmy Shen (hongmingshen@caixin.com)
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