Chris Cuomo Says He Spoke to Dr. Fauci Every Day During His Coronavirus Battle
Anthony Fauci, M.D., presidential advisor and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, joined Chris Cuomo on CNN Monday night via video.
Cuomo said Dr. Fauci helped him throughout his battle with COVID-19 and the two would often have late-night calls.
“I care about you but I was worried about you,” Dr. Fauci said during the show.
On Monday night, Anthony Fauci, M.D., was a guest on Chris Cuomo’s Cuomo Prime Time show, and the CNN anchor let us in on something that “nobody knows” about their relationship. Apparently, the two are very close, and Dr. Fauci helped Cuomo while he battled COVID-19 throughout April.
“I’ve known him a lot of my life, but I’ve never known him the way I know you through this pandemic,” Cuomo said. “I have spoken to you almost without exception every day, and you have been calling me out of personal concern to make sure that I’m OK, that my wife is OK, that my son was OK.” (Both Cristina Cuomo and Mario Cuomo also tested positive for the novel coronavirus.)
Cuomo said the two would sometimes talk very late at night when his show was over, early in the morning, and even on weekends. Dr. Fauci explained that Cuomo was “going through some difficult times” and understood how the anchor was struggling when the cameras were off.
“When you finished the show and we would start chatting at 11:00 or 11:30 at night, you were wiped out,” Dr. Fauci said. “You not only had the acute difficulty with a virus that was replicating in you, but you had so many secondary effects—the fever, the aches, the feeling washed out. And even when you were viral-negative I was concerned because you were uncomfortable.”
Cuomo was open about his experience with COVID-19 and regularly shared updates on his show. The 49-year-old experienced “maddening” symptoms that included a high fever, sleepless nights, extreme weight loss, and the rigors. He previously said the virus also impacts your mental health, and “creates emotional illness and psychological illness.”
“I was worried about you there for a while because we know—and I didn’t want to scare you, I gave you the truth—that there is a period of time in some individuals when you look like you’re recovering and then things go really bad,” Dr. Fauci explained. He said they’re not yet sure why the development of the disease is mild in some and severe in others, adding “I care about you but I was worried about you.”
Cuomo let Dr. Fauci know how much he appreciated his concern and willingness to help. “Thank you for taking care of me the way you do. Thank you for giving me all of the information that you did,” he said.
The father of three said he wanted people to know “who they’re getting” in Dr. Fauci. “It’s not just TV or 30 years of excellence in the scientific field. The head and the heart that comes together in your body is the real deal, Dr. Fauci, and that’s why people believe in you,” he said. “They know that where you’re coming from is a point of concern in humanity. I know it firsthand and I want my audience to know it as well.”
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