A senior official at the Department of Health and Human Services wants to keep Dr. Anthony Fauci from telling the public about how much harm coronavirus can cause to children, Politico reported.
Dr. Paul Alexander, who works as a senior advisor for Michael Caputo, HHS assistant public affairs secretary, reportedly directed media relations officials at the National Institutes of Health on how Fauci should address coronavirus related to children.
“I continue to have an issue with kids getting tested and repeatedly and even university students in a widespread manner … and I disagree with Dr. Fauci on this. Vehemently,” Alexander wrote in an August 27 email, after reading what Fauci was planning to say during an interview with Bloomberg.
Alexander sent an email on Tuesday to a spokesperson to tell Fauci not to promote mask-wearing when he went on-air for a scheduled MSNBC interview.
“Can you ensure Dr. Fauci indicates masks are for the teachers in schools. Not for children,” Alexander reportedly said in this email. “There is no data, none, zero, across the entire world, that shows children, especially young children, spread this virus to other children, or to adults or to their teachers. None. And if it did occur, the risk is essentially zero.”
In March, Caputo appointed Alexander, who works as a part-time professor of health research methods, to his current HHS position.
“Dr. Alexander advises me on pandemic policy and he has been encouraged to share his opinions with other scientists,” Caputo said in a statement to Politico. “Like all scientists, his advice is heard and taken or rejected by his peers. I hired Dr. Alexander for his expertise and not to simply resonate others’ opinions.”
Fauci has said he hasn't seen the emails and his staff doesn't instruct him on how to talk about coronavirus.
“No one tells me what I can say and cannot say,” Fauci reportedly said. “I speak on scientific evidence.”
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