The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told CNN that he underwent surgery Thursday morning to remove a polyp from his vocal cord.
“He’s now home and resting,” a spokesperson for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseaseses, which Fauci heads, told NPR after the outpatient procedure. “Expect him to be completely resting his voice at least through the weekend.”
Fauci has been been a vocal member of the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force for months, consistently appearing for interviews about the ongoing outbreak.
“I’m physically fine,” Fauci said. “All I do all day long is brief people. I just need to keep my mouth shut for a little while and it will get better.”
“Today” show host Savannah Guthrie noted during an April 2 interview with Fauci that the 79-year-old’s voice sounded hoarse.
Later that month, Fauci said during an event for The Economic Club of Washington D.C. that he had developed tracheitis “that was gradually getting better” after he came down with the flu in December.
“And then came coronavirus, which had me briefing -- at least in my mind -- almost every congressman, every senator, every governor, and doing five, six, seven interviews a day,” Fauci said, according to PBS NewsHour.
“I probably have a polyp there. ... The only way you’re going to make it get better is to keep your mouth shut. But that’s not in the cards right now.”