Republicans attempting to blame the coronavirus crisis on immigration have been hit with a stern message from Dr Anthony Fauci: face reality.
A recent poll from KFF showed that 55 per cent of Republicans polled believed that immigrants and tourists bringing in Covid-19 was the reason for the number of coronavirus cases in the US, compared with just 34 per cent of independents and 21 per cent of Democrats who viewed this as a reaosn for the spread of Covid.
Asked about the poll and whether imigration was causing coronaviorus, Dr Fauci responded: “No, absolutely not.”
“If you just look at the data and look at the people who have gotten infected, look at the people who are in the hospital, look at the people who’ve died. This is not driven by immigrants,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash.
“The problem is within our own country,” he continued. “Certainly immigrants can get infected, but they’re not the driving force of this. Let’s face reality here.”
The US has seen more than 700,000 coronavirus deaths according to data from Johns Hopkins University, with more than 43 million cases. Infections over the last few months have surged in many southern states, particularly in areas where vaccine uptake has been low.
However, that hasn’t stopped some Republican governors for suggesting immigration, not vaccination, is what people should be focused on in the fight against coronavirus.
“I can tell you, whatever variants are around the world, they’re coming across that southern border,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said back in August.
Dr Fauci is the latest expert to dismiss the idea that immigtion is responsible for the number of coronavirus cases in the US, with the medical director of Physicians for Human Rights Dr. Michele Heisler telling NPR: “This is not a border issue; it is not a migrant issue.
“They’re just trying to divert attention from the actual measures that we need to take,” she contined. “You know, asking people to wear masks, and socially distance, and take care of themselves and their loved ones. And it’s baffling to me that instead of trying to protect lives, they’re trying to create a scapegoat.”
