Anthony Fauci finds Trump’s coronavirus briefings ‘really draining’ -- and doubts US will be ready to re-open on May 1

According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. is not where it needs to be in its fight against coronavirus to be anywhere near reopening the economy.

“We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we’re not there yet,” Fauci told The Associated Press.

Fauci's comments come as President Trump's administration weighs options to reopen the economy in the wake of lockdowns meant to stem the spread of coronavirus. Trump has suggested such actions could be taken as early as May 1. But according to Fauci, a May 1 goal is "a bit overly optimistic" and any reopening effort would have to be done on a "rolling" basis.

“I’ll guarantee you, once you start pulling back there will be infections. It’s how you deal with the infections that’s going count,” Fauci told the AP.

Fauci also addressed the presidential briefings of which he's a key part, saying they can be “really draining.”

“If I had been able to just make a few comments and then go to work, that would have really been much better,” he said. “It isn’t the idea of being there and answering questions, which I really think is important for the American public. It’s the amount of time.”

Read the full report over at The Associated Press.