The United States certainly isn't out of the woods when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, but that hasn't stopped the country's top scientists, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, from trying to stay ahead of the game. Fauci is at the forefront of two federal projects that are aiming to tackle other viruses that could cause the next global health crisis.
First, there's the Biden administration's $3 billion-plus Antiviral Program for Pandemics, which is aimed at "accelerating clinical testing of promising" antiviral drug treatments, as well as "expanding the basic science and knowledge need to discover new antiviral medicines," Fauci told The Scientific American in an interview. COVID-19 is the "primary mover" for the program, Fauci said. But if it's successful, he said "it can be directed at any virus of pandemic potential."
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