Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry and more stars took part in Zoom with Dr. Fauci about COVID-19

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Amid Monday's news that pharmaceutical company Pfizer has developed a vaccine that has prevented more than 90% of COVID-19 infections in an early study, other U.S. efforts to quell the novel coronavirus are emerging.

Kim Kardashian West, 2 Chainz, plus celebrity couples including Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, and Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk were among the 36 famous faces present on a Zoom call in April with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in an interview with CNN.

The aim of the roughly hour-long call was to allow stars to ask Fauci questions about COVID-19 in the hopes they would pass on what they learned about safety precautions to their fans. Fauci told CNN they asked about masks, social distancing and whether it was safe to eat take-out food.

"It was a whole bunch of movie stars and some sports figures and they wanted to know about what they could do to stay safe, about wearing masks and avoiding crowds," Fauci told CNN. "I was impressed by the questions they asked, by their level of sophistication."

Close to 60,000 Americans died from COVID-19 in April. To date, the U.S. has seen more than 237,000 deaths and is nearing 10 million cases, both the most out of any other country in the world, according to Johns Hopkins data.

On Oct. 5, Kim Kardashian West revealed that her husband, Kanye West, was diagnosed with the coronavirus mid-March at the onset of the pandemic.
On Oct. 5, Kim Kardashian West revealed that her husband, Kanye West, was diagnosed with the coronavirus mid-March at the onset of the pandemic.

Stars have "megaphones," Fauci said, referencing many of the celebrities' huge social media follower counts (Kardashian West alone has more than 191 million on Instagram). Therefore, informing celebrities could have a major impact on the CDC's ability to "get the word out about staying safe.," Fauci deduced.

He added: "I could say to them, for example, it's important to wear a mask, and they get on their accounts and say 'wear a mask' and it goes out to an additional couple of million people."

Many of them did. Since the call, Kardashian West pledged in May to donate $1 million from her shapewear line, Skims, to "support Mothers and Children in need during this time."

'They can influence us': Celebrities aren't all wearing masks in public, but they should be

The reality star has spoken out multiple times, including an Instagram post in March, urging her fans to follow stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines.

"Unless you are leaving your home to go to work, restock on necessary food and essentials, to see your doctor or to help someone in need such as an elderly neighbor, please do not ignore the severity of the warnings to stay inside to stop the spread of this virus," she said.

In late April, 2 Chainz handed out meals to homeless people in Atlanta. Meanwhile, Kunis and Kutcher launched their own bottle of wine, dubbed Quarantine Wine, with all profits going toward a handful of coronavirus relief efforts including food for struggling families, PPE for medical workers and funds to support struggling small businesses.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, more Zoomed with Dr. Fauci about COVID-19