Biden's choice to lead the CDC is another step in the wrong direction
Among the litany of reasons that President Joe Biden’s approval rating stands at a dreary 31% is his failure to deliver on the promise of a return to normal after COVID.
The candidate who ran on unity drove the country further apart with decisions based on bad science. Biden’s failings are fueling the surprising strength of Robert Kennedy, Jr., who enjoys the support of 16% of Democratic primary voters in a recent FOX News poll.
With Dr. Rochelle Walensky leaving her perch atop the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the end of June, Biden’s pick to replace her is another step in the wrong direction.
Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, speaks during a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic in Raleigh, North Carolina, May 26, 2020. (Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
As the secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services during COVID, Mandy Cohen marched in lockstep with Dr. Anthony Fauci through the pandemic. She even sported a mask featuring his image.
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Her policies subjected North Carolinians to harsh restrictions that disrupted everyday life without any demonstrated benefit. What’s worse, she doesn’t regret any of it, recalling with glee how she joked with friends about enforcing mass shutdowns.
The fallout from these policies were no laughing matter. Many people were devastated financially and emotionally. Depression and anxiety in children doubled, and concerns about mental health skyrocketed.
Against this backdrop, Cohen’s critics have every reason to be skeptical about her ability to chart a new course. Since her appointment is not subject to Senate approval, here are three commitments Cohen should make to restore the CDC’s credibility.
First, submit to a full congressional investigation of pandemic decision-making. Since the 118th Congress took power in January, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has made great strides shedding light on fraud and waste in federal pandemic spending. Even as the recent compromise on the debt ceiling clawed back $27 billion in COVID-era federal funding to federal agencies, the committee’s oversight work must continue into other arenas.
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From confusing medical guidance to misrepresenting data to embarrassing communication errors (remember the suggestion to play basketball online with friends?), the CDC’s failings during the pandemic are well-documented. These actions have damaged the once sterling reputation of the agency. Cohen should commit to safeguards that ensure they can never be repeated.
CDC Director Robert Redfield speaks during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on Sept. 16, 2020. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Second, Cohen should decry the politicization of agency recommendations. Many of my fellow Democrats were quick to accuse the CDC director under President Trump, Dr. Robert Redfield, for allowing politics to influence mitigation measures. They were correct then, and it’s a principle that must be fought for, regardless of which party is in the White House.
To operate effectively, the CDC must follow the data – not political whims. A good place to start is allowing an independent review of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the CDC's in-house think tank. During the pandemic, MMWR cherry-picked data about masks and vaccines to make the case for their effectiveness. Three years later, a powerful combination of academic studies, data and common sense indicate that promises about masks and vaccines were oversold and underdelivered.
The CDC’s vaccine injury monitoring efforts must be strengthened and made more transparent, too. The agency effectively ignored data about vaccine-related injuries that people and health care providers reported through its Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and v-safe. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request revealed that 7.7% of people receiving the experimental COVID vaccine reported requiring medical care – an astonishing statistic of which few are fully aware.
Finally, Cohen must demonstrate a commitment to medical freedom. It’s easy to look back and marvel at bad decisions made during the fog of COVID. But at the time, those who raised concerns were treated as pariahs and shunned from society. California even tried to deny doctors their livelihood for spreading "misinformation."
The role of CDC is not to police and shame people who don't follow agency recommendations. It's to give people practical guideposts for health care concerns based on comprehensive and transparent scientific data, and then trust them to make decisions for themselves. The one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work.
Voters will render judgment on Biden’s handling of the pandemic next November, or maybe even sooner. A USA Today/Suffolk University poll shows 80% of Democrats wish to see Biden engage Kennedy in a debate. To truly turn the page, the next head of the CDC must break from the mistakes of the past. Let’s hope Cohen seizes the opportunity.
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Pierre Kory, M.D., is president and chief medical officer of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance.
