Political Influence

Political Influence

Political influence is directly affecting healthcare policy decisions during the pandemic. Politics should not influence sensitive public health debates. Top White House officials pressured the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to play down the health risks to children. Trump henchmen even tried to circumvent the C.D.C. for “alternate facts” to show that the pandemic posed no danger to children.

Now, two senior U.S. public health experts raised concerns that Trump adviser Scott Atlas is providing misleading or incorrect information on the pandemic to Trump. Robert Redfield is the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He was overheard talking on a plane about Atlas. “Everything he says is false,” Redfield said.  The top U.S. infectious diseases expert, Anthony Fauci, was concerned that information given by Atlas was “really taken either out of context or actually incorrect.”

Atlas keeps pushing for herd immunity. He suggests the virus should spread so people build up immunity. This would kill 2 to 3 million Americans. Atlas’s advocacy of exposing children to the coronavirus to achieve herd immunity has made public health experts cringe. “Many of his opinions and statements run counter to established science, and, by doing so, undermine public-health authorities and the credible science that guides effective public health policy,” 78 of his former colleagues wrote in an open letter.

Fatality Rate

More than 205,000 Americans have died from Covid-19. Cases are still rising in a majority of states. Even Vice-President Mike Pence admits cases are going to continue to rise. A national plan for a mask mandate would help.

The global death toll from COVID-19 rose past 1 million. Experts are struggling to figure out the fatality rate – the percentage of people infected with the pathogen who die.  The U.S. has 4% of the world’s population but the highest death toll in the world. 205,072 fatalities.

Democratic lawmakers recently passed legislation which “includes new funding needed to avert catastrophe for schools, small businesses, restaurants, performance spaces, airline workers and others.” “Democrats are willing to compromise with this updated bill. Where are the Republicans.

Be careful. Wear a mask. Keep safe distance. Call us if we can help.