FILE PHOTO: Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks at an event where U.S. Vice President Mike Pence received the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Cheriss May/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two top U.S. health officials on Sunday disputed a claim by President Donald Trump that federal data on COVID-19 cases and deaths in the United States is overblown, and both expressed optimism that the pace of vaccinations is picking up.
"The deaths are real deaths," Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on ABC News’ This Week, adding that jam-packed hospitals and stressed-out healthcare workers are "not fake. That’s real.”
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