Dr Anthony Fauci recovering after undergoing surgery on his vocal cords

The doctors treating Dr Fauci ask him to refrain from talking while he heals

Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and the White House's top doctor responding to coronavirus, has undergone an operation to have a polyp removed from his vocal cord.

According to CNN's Dr Sanjay Gupta, Dr Fauci was given general anaesthesia during the operation. Dr Gupta said that following the procedure, Dr Fauci texted him to let him know he was "doing ok."

Dr Gupta said that Dr Fauci's doctors have asked him to refrain from speaking for a while to allow his vocal cords time to recover.

"Dr Anthony Fauci had an operation today to remove a polyp on his vocal cord. He had general anaesthesia and text me after to let me know he was doing ok," Dr Gupta wrote. "Doctors have advised him to curtail his talking for awhile to allow his vocal cords [time] to recover."

Dr Fauci predicted his condition in April during a meeting at the Economic Club of Washington in April when he said "that when you get your voices damaged a little -- I probably have a polyp there -- the only way to get better is to keep your mouth shut."

Prior to his surgery, Dr Fauci was advising lawmakers on the dangers of school re-openings in the midst of the pandemic.

North Carolina news station WRAL reported that Dr Fauci called the state's health officials in July ahead of their planned reinstatement of in-person learning for students this school year. As a result of his call, the state delayed its decision.

According to Dr Mandy Cohen of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Dr Fauci called the state officials and advised them to wait a little longer before sending their kids back to school.

"You know what? You do not need to make this decision today. Why don't you wait and watch your trends? Like another couple of weeks," Dr Fauci told them.

Based on the call and further research by the state health officials, North Carolina implemented their "Plan B" strategy, which will include sending students back to in-person schooling and allowing them to use remote education beginning in August. Students who wish to learn fully remote can opt for the state's "Plan C."

Dr Fauci has been urging leadership in any regions with high coronavirus case numbers to "think twice" before allowing students to physically return to school. During a live-streamed discussion with George Washington University, Dr Fauci warned that children can transmit the virus to adults just as easily as adults can transfer the virus between each other.

He called for adjusted safety measures for schools, including a mix of in-person and remote learning as well as mask usage, and said that he hopes to see a "consistent message" on school re-opening from the federal government soon.