Former Trump appointed science adviser Paul Alexander advocated for "herd immunity" as a method of combating the coronavirus pandemic, Politico discovered through newly published emails.
“There is no other way, we need to establish herd, and it only comes about allowing the non-high-risk groups expose themselves to the virus. PERIOD," then-science adviser Alexander told his boss, Health and Human Services assistant secretary for public affairs Michael Caputo, and six other senior officials, on July 4th.
"Infants, kids, teens, young people, young adults, middle-aged with no conditions, etc. have zero to little risk….so we use them to develop herd…we want them infected…" Alexander added, effectively advocating to allow the potential death of at-risk Americans. Immunologist Kristian Andersen has reported that the strategy would kill between 1 million and 2 million people in the U.S.
"[I]t may be that it will be best if we open up and flood the zone and let the kids and young folk get infected" in order to get "natural immunity…natural exposure," Alexander wrote on July 24 to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn, Caputo and eight other senior officials.
Other government officials have denied that herd immunity was a consideration for dealing with the virus: “Herd immunity is not the strategy of the U.S. government with regard to coronavirus," HHS Secretary Alex Azar testified before the House coronavirus subcommittee on Oct. 2.
Alexander's employment within the Department of Health and Human Services was terminated on Sept. 16.
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