Dr. Anthony Fauci undergoes surgery for vocal cord polyp, according to reports

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, underwent surgery Thursday morning to have a polyp removed from his vocal cord, according to reports.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a White House coronavirus adviser, confirmed the news to CNN. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the network’s chief medical correspondent, tweeted that Fauci texted him after the procedure to let him "know he was doing ok."

“Doctors have advised him to curtail his talking for a while to allow his vocal cords to recover,” Gupta wrote.

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies before a House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing on July 31, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)

A polyp is a vocal cord lesion that can cause hoarseness and may be associated with vocal overuse, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

A person close to the 79-year-old Fauci told CNBC that he was recovering at home. He was expected back at work Monday running the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, an agency spokeswoman told the news outlet.

Between briefings, media interviews, online Q&A sessions and even testimony before Congress, Fauci has made almost daily appearances since the onset of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.

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Fauci said earlier this month during a webinar hosted by Brown University that he hopes a coronavirus vaccine could be 75% effective, but one that is 50% to 60% effective would also be acceptable.

“We don’t know yet what the efficacy might be. We don’t know if it will be 50% or 60%. I’d like it to be 75% or more,” Fauci said. “What I’m shooting for is somewhere between really good control and elimination.”

“The chances of it being 98% effective is not great, which means you must never abandon the public health approach,” he added.

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This story was reported from Cincinnati.