Trump’s top appointee demanded herd immunity to fight the coronavirus. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advisor Paul Alexander wanted millions to be infected. Internal emails retrieved by a White House watchdog revealed that the Trump appointee urged top health officials to use herd immunity, according to Politico on Dec. 17, 2020.
On July 4, Alexander wrote to his boss, Michael Caputo, and six other senior officials:
“There is no other way, we need to establish herd immunity, and it only comes about by allowing the non-high-risk groups to expose themselves to the virus. PERIOD.”
The top Trump appointee believes people with zero to low risk of contracting the virus should be used to develop a herd. The people he will like to use include infants, kids, teens, young people, young adults, and the middle-aged with no conditions.
In an email on July 27 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, the top appointee argued that colleges should stay open to allow the coronavirus to spread.
Caputo is the Health and Human Services assistant secretary for public affairs.
Appointee Alexander was a top deputy of Caputo, installed by President Donald Trump back in April to lead the health department’s communications efforts. Many people believed when the appointee made recommendations, the White House-backed him.
Former chief of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kyle McGowan, and his deputy Amanda Campbell, who were employed in 2018, made history as two of the youngest political appointees. The young Republicans returned to their native Georgia to work their dream jobs.
Written by Jessica Letcher
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
The New York Times: ‘Like a Hand Grasping’: Trump Appointees Describe the Crushing of the C.D.C.; by Noah Weiland
Politico: ‘We want them infected’: Trump appointee demanded ‘herd immunity’ strategy, emails reveal; by Dan Diamond
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Province of British Columbia’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License