On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “The ReidOut,” White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said “it’s very frustrating” when people question him about restrictions and freedoms without mentioning the number of people who have died from coronavirus and that while he wants to get his life back, “I, also put, as a higher priority, the health and the safety and the lives of the American public.”

Host Joy Reid asked, “Does it shock you, frustrate you, how do you feel, when you are peppered with questions about, you know, restrictions and freedoms — and the dead, the 560,000 dead are not mentioned?”

Fauci responded, “Well, it’s very frustrating, because, you know, as a public health official, I’m very much aware of this issue of COVID-19 fatigue about people really being worn down and tired of the kinds of restrictions that we have when we do public health guidelines. But the numbers speak for themselves. … Congressman Jordan mentioned the people of Ohio. I care very much for the people of Ohio. I don’t want to see them get sick or die, because we have 560,000 Americans that have died so far. So, we’re looking at it from different perspectives. I’m looking at it from a public health perspective, and he was talking about the infringement upon liberties. Right now, what we need to do is get this pandemic behind us. And we will do that, and it will not be an indefinite period of time.”

He continued, “The thing that we have so much in our favor is that we now have 80 million Americans fully vaccinated and 127 million have had at least one dose. Each day, we get three to four million people vaccinated, additionally, each day that goes by. So, what we need to do is just hang on there a bit longer until we get the majority, the overwhelming majority, of people vaccinated. And you will see, the level of infection continue to come down. And when it does, then, you’ll see a relaxation of the kind of restrictions that people would like to get rid of because they want to get their lives back. I, certainly, want to get my life back. But I, also put, as a higher priority, the health and the safety and the lives of the American public.”

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