‘Our society is totally nuts’: Fauci emails lift lid on life in eye of the Covid storm

Communications from America's top infectious diseases expert shed light on panic and confusion in early stages of pandemic

As Anthony Fauci, the US's leading infectious diseases official, grappled with the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic last spring, he was pulled in many directions.

Donald Trump's White House, which was downplaying the dangers, was demanding he portray the outbreak on their terms; the media was hungry for answers; and Fauci's email inbox was constantly full with officials, the public and celebrities offering advice and seeking information about the world's deadliest health crisis for a century.