Fauci laughs at pandemic dating term he inspired: 'I'm gonna Fauci you!'
President Biden’s chief medical adviser couldn’t stop laughing at the new lingo
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sometimes you just can't help but laugh.
Dr. Anthony Fauci cracked up after learning the definition of his last name as a dating term, as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
President Biden’s chief medical adviser couldn’t stop laughing at the new lingo, with Plenty of Fish defining "Fauci-ing" as declining to date someone because they’re not taking COVID-19 seriously enough.
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On Valentine's Day, HBO teased an Axios interview with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director, during which Fauci apparently heard of the phenomenon for the first time.
Dr. Anthony Fauci cracked up after learning the definition of his last name as a dating term. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
"What does it mean?" he asked with a smile, in a clip shared to Twitter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It means cutting off a relationship if you don't think that that other person is serious enough about social distancing and taking the pandemic seriously," interviewer Margaret Talev explained. "Like oh, I Fauci’d that guy."
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Amused, Fauci chuckled and declared "I'm gonna Fauci you!"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On a more serious note, the infectious disease expert later explained that he empathizes with anyone looking for love during this time.
"It would be really frustrating to essentially semi-isolate yourself at a time when you're trying to explore social interactions with people," he told Axios. "That leads to a considerable amount of stress and maybe even depression on the part of some people."
On Monday, the Dan David Foundation of Israel announced it would be awarding Fauci one of three $1 million prizes for "defending science" and advocating for the swift administration of vaccines in the global fight against COVID-19.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.