US President Donald Trump has appointed Vice-President Mike Pence to coordinate the government's response to the CoViD-19 outbreak after the total number of confirmed cases in America reached 60.
Despite repeated assurances by Trump, citizens are becoming increasingly worried, especially after the first case of local transmission was reported in California. Public health officials who suggest that the spread of the virus is a matter of "when" and "not if" have been contradicted by President Trump, who does not think the spread is inevitable. Similarly, comments made by Trump during his visit to India, suggesting the virus is under control and "is going to go away," stands in stark contrast to the assessment by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which predicts a "severe disruption" in the lives of ordinary Americans.
Amid these recent developments, the decision to assign Mike Pence to coordinate all public messaging and appearances by the government has been heavily criticised. This move is seen by many as an effort to tighten control of the messaging about the virus by Trump. Critics have been quick to point out that this will essentially lead to the censoring of health officials and control what they can or cannot say, endangering public health.
The fact that the White House has ordered the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, to clear any statements he makes with the administration first only serves to cement these suspicions and concerns.
In addition, experts and politicians in the US have also questioned Mike Pence's competence to lead such an effort due to his track record on public health. During his stint as the governor of Indiana, the Vice-President was accused of significantly exacerbating an HIV outbreak by ignoring official calls for a clean needle exchange. In November 2014, Indiana saw the largest outbreak of HIV in its history. Studies by Yale School of Public health and The Lancet have now shown that the number number of people infected would have been 90% fewer if Pence had not delayed CDC's recommendation for clean needle exchanges in the state.
Trump's pick has caused outrage amongst large sections of the public and has been a matter of vociferous debate amongst opposition leaders, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressing concern that the appointment potentially undermines public health efforts. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren also lashed out at Trump by suggesting that Pence is "actively disqualified" to manage efforts by putting politics over science.
Alongside Pence's appointment, the policy of forcing government health officials to seek approval before making statements has drawn parallels with China's authoritarian regime, where the true severity of the outbreak was and is concealed from the public.
