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Dr. Celine Gounder, a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s Covid Advisory Board, told CNBC she was “relieved” to learn that President Donald Trump’s special advisor on the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Scott Atlas, had officially resigned from his post.
“I am relieved that in the future, qualified people, infectious disease specialists and epidemiologists like myself will help lead this effort, people who are subject matter experts,” Gounder said in an interview Monday evening. on “The News with Shepard Smith.” “You wouldn’t go to a podiatrist for a heart attack, and that’s basically what was happening.”
Atlas specializes in neuroradiology and has no training in infectious diseases. After repeatedly pushing to reopen schools and questioning the effectiveness of the masks, dozens of researchers and doctors at Stanford Medical called their former colleague. They alleged that Atlas was disseminating “lies and misrepresentation of science”.
In his resignation letterAtlas said he “has always relied on the latest science and evidence” and “synthesized the latest data” as he learns new information.
“While some may disagree with these recommendations, it is the free exchange of ideas that leads to scientific truths, which are the very foundation of any civilized society,” he wrote.
Atlas’s resignation comes as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country. The United States has recorded an average of more than 162,000 cases per day over the past week and, this month alone, has reported more than 4.2 million new cases. That means nearly a third of all cases in the country were added in November, according to CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins data.
The policies of the Trump administration differ significantly from those of the new Biden administration, especially when it comes to masks and testing, according to Gounder, an epidemiologist at NYU.
“Unfortunately, the wearing of a mask has been politicized where it is really only a basic hygiene measure, such as the use of toilet paper, which should never have become a political symbol”, Gounder said. “As far as testing goes, the current administration has actively discouraged people from getting tested, and said we are being over-tested.”
In June, Trump told his supporters at a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that increased testing led to more cases of the virus.
“When you test to that extent, you’re going to find more people, you’re going to find more cases,” Trump said. “So I said to my people, ‘Slow down the tests, please. “They test and they test.”
Hospitals across the country are grappling with the surge in cases. More than 93,000 Americans are hospitalized for Covid-19 – an all-time high according to the Covid Tracking Project.
Gounder said the Biden administration would start by focusing on the location of vaccination sites to ensure black and minority communities an equal chance of getting an approved Covid vaccine.
“For example, with testing, we saw fewer test sites in communities of color, lines were longer, turnaround times were longer,” Gounder explained. “So we really make sure that we are working with providers who care for these communities to make sure that they are able to provide access to the vaccine as well.”
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