Fauci says he is not retiring yet and will make an announcement when the time comes

Dr. Anthony Fauci says he will step down from his current position before the end of President Biden's term, but is far from making an official announcement.

Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the president and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said before that there is a "finite element to his tenure," but an interview with Politico sparked reports of retirement for the nation's top infectious disease expert.

Fauci told NPR that when asked about his current position, he told Politico that he doesn't see himself in the job past the end of Biden's first term in January 2025.

"I plan to step down from my current position sometime between now and then and to go on and pursue other directions in my professional career," Fauci said. "That has somehow been interpreted as my announcing my retirement. When I do decide on the date of stepping down I will make a formal announcement."

Fauci, 81, told NPR that does not have an exact date in mind for his decision but that it may come "sooner rather than later." As for what's next, he said he is not sure what he will do after leaving his position partially because he hasn't decided when he will be leaving. [Copyright 2022 NPR]