Warren Buffett: 'Thank you, Dr. Fauci'

·Senior Business Reporter

Updated Sun, May 3, 2020, 12:05 AM2 min read

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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A, BRK-B) Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett expressed his gratitude for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Thank you Dr, Fauci,” Buffett said during his opening remarks for the Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, on Saturday.

“Personally I feel extraordinarily good about being able to listen to Dr. Fauci, whom I'd never heard of a year ago,” said Buffett. “I think we're very, very fortunate as a country to have somebody at 79 years of age, appears be able to work 24-hours a day and keep a good humor about him and communicate in a very, very, straightforward matter about fairly complex subjects and tell you when he knows something and when he doesn't know something.”

Buffett made the remarks during the shareholder meeting, which this year is being held in a virtual format as most states are under shelter-in-place measures due to COVID-19. No shareholders were present at the meeting this year, nor was Vice Chairman Charlie Munger. Buffett shared the stage with Greg Abel, vice-chairman of the non-insurance operations of Berkshire Hathaway.

“I do feel I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Dr. Fauci for educating and informing me— actually along with my friend Bill Gates, too — and I know I get it from a straight-shooter when I get it from either one of those,” said Buffett.

On Saturday, Berkshire Hathaway posted its first quarter results for 2020, showing coronavirus affected its investments. The company’s management said in their regulatory filing, “As efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated in the second half of March and continued through April, most of our businesses were negatively affected, with the effects to date ranging from relatively minor to severe.”