Enlarge / Director of Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Illnesses Anthony Fauci at Dirksen Senate Workplace Constructing on Capitol Hill Might 17, 2022 in Washington, DC. (credit score: Getty | Alex Wong)

The nation’s high infectious illness skilled, Anthony Fauci, has been struck by a phenomenon that seems to be turning into extra frequent within the newest stage of the pandemic—rebounding bouts of COVID-19 after a course of the antiviral drug Paxlovid.

In an interview Tuesday at Overseas Coverage’s World Well being Discussion board, Fauci recounted the development of his an infection to his present rebound, which he stated has been a lot worse than his first spherical with the illness. Fauci—the director of the Nationwide Institutes of Well being’s Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Illnesses (NIAID) and chief medical advisor to the president—is 81 years outdated and has been totally vaccinated towards COVID-19 and boosted twice.

He first examined optimistic on a fast antigen take a look at on June 15 and skilled “very minimal signs.” However his signs worsened and he started a five-day course of Paxlovid. “And I felt actually fairly nicely,” Fauci stated, including that he simply had delicate nasal congestion and fatigue. When he had completed the five-day course, he had reverted to unfavourable on antigen exams for 3 consecutive days. However, “then on the fourth day—simply to be completely sure—I examined myself once more, and I reverted again to optimistic … after which over the following day or so I began to really feel actually poorly, a lot worse than within the first go-around.”