Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'We Want Them Infected': Emails Reveal Trump Official's Push For Herd Immunity Strategy
Politico: ‘We Want Them Infected’: Trump Appointee Demanded ‘Herd Immunity’ Strategy, Emails Reveal
A top Trump appointee repeatedly urged top health officials to adopt a "herd immunity" approach to Covid-19 and allow millions of Americans to be infected by the virus, according to internal emails obtained by a House watchdog and shared with POLITICO. “There is no other way, we need to establish herd, and it only comes about allowing the non-high risk groups expose themselves to the virus. PERIOD," then-science adviser Paul Alexander wrote on July 4 to his boss, Health and Human Services assistant secretary for public affairs Michael Caputo, and six other senior officials. (Diamond, 12/16)
CNBC: 'We Want Them Infected,' Trump HHS Appointee Said In Email Pushing To Expose Infants, Kids And Teens To Covid
The emails surfaced as part of an investigation by the House coronavirus subcommittee into alleged political interference by the Trump administration. The probe came about after former HHS scientific advisor Paul Alexander and longtime Trump ally Michael Caputo were accused this summer of meddling with the work of career scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist. Alexander was ousted when Caputo, assistant secretary for public affairs, departed HHS on medical leave in September. (Feuer, 12/16)
CNN: Former Trump Appointee Encouraged Herd Immunity Strategy For Covid-19, Internal Emails Reveal
An HHS spokesperson told CNN in a statement that Alexander's emails "absolutely did not shape department strategy." "Dr. Paul Alexander previously served as a temporary Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and is no longer employed at the Department," the spokesperson said, adding, "Herd immunity is not the policy of the United States COVID-19 response." (Wilson, Diaz and Klein, 12/16)
Forbes: ‘We Want Them All Infected’: HHS Distances Itself From Trump Appointee Who Repeatedly Pushed For ‘Herd Immunity’
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has sought to distance itself from one of the agency’s former advisors—personally installed by President Trump—who the results of a watchdog investigation published Wednesday show repeatedly advocated for allowing millions of young and middle-aged Americans to become infected with Covid-19 over the summer in a push for the HHS to pursue a controversial “herd immunity” strategy. (McEvoy, 12/16)
In other news, CDC appointees say messaging regularly won out over science —
The Hill: CDC Appointees Describe Messaging Winning Out Over Science At The Agency
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) appointees told The New York Times that political messaging won out over science when the two were pitted against each other throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Former chief of staff Kyle McGowan and his deputy Amanda Campbell, both of whom were appointed by President Trump and left the CDC in August, described their attempts to protect the agency and their colleagues from interference from the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (Coleman, 12/16)
