In defense of Dr. Fauci, on May 5, 2009 (day 21 of the first case of 2009 outbreak), the CDC determined that flu to be no more deadly than the ordinary flu; on May 6 (day 22), the CDC recommended AGAINST school closures; and, on May 24 (day 40), tamiflu was recommended for people with flu symptoms regardless of whether it was the ordinary flu or the 2009 mutation. Nowadays, the 2009 flu is simply in the mix of flu when it comes to preparing the seasonal flu vaccine.
Today, we are on day 62 of the introduction of the 2019 flu to the U.S., and we know or suspect is that this flu is more contagious and more lethal. The President has ordered travel bans (starting with a travel ban on China on day 11; the CDC has issued guidance for social distancing; in keeping with, or a bit ahead of this guidance, private organizations and state governments have been canceling or restricting gatherings; and, while we have some hope for a treatment, no treatment is yet approved.
Even with regard to testing, in the 2009 outbreak, a new test kit was approved on day 14; and, this time, a new test kit was only approved on day 39 (and is just now becoming available in large numbers).
Our plan is to slow the spread of this disease until we have a treatment, at which time we can reassess the cost and benefit of social distances. Better would be to have both a treatment and a vaccine, but the vaccine probably won’t be available until the 2021 flu season.
So do we wait for a vaccine? Of course we won’t. There’d be nothing left.