Coronavirus creates a stir in Washington

Dr. Anthony Fauci and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., got into a heated exchange on Tuesday over whether the agency Fauci oversees funded a certain kind of coronavirus research in China. Fauci, along with Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified before a Senate committee about the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. He and Paul accused each other of not telling the truth. Meanwhile, staffers at the White House and Capitol Hill tested positive for the virus.

How many officials have gotten sick? White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters a fully vaccinated staff member tested positive for COVID-19 off campus but did not have close contact with the president or other key officials. Also on Tuesday, a top spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tested positive after coming in contact with Democratic state lawmakers who traveled to Washington from Texas last week to stymie new election legislation. Five of those Texas lawmakers tested positive for the coronavirus over the weekend.

Dig deeper: Read Dr. Charles Horton’s report about the speed of medical research during the pandemic.