The United States reported at least 51,842 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, a third day in a row with a peak of more than 50,000 when the holiday weekend of July 4 began.
On Saturday, one of the hardest hit states, Florida, said confirmed cases rose by a record 11,458, the second time in three days the number of cases increased by more than 10,000.
But according to a CNN report, public health leaders are denied permission to appear on national television and speak on behalf of the federal government.
An unnamed official told the network that Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a popular figure on television in the early months of the pandemic, was too outspoken about the dangers of Covid-19, or also “pessimism”.
If so, Fauci has had a good reason. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland who published the daily figure on Friday, the United States has recorded nearly 2.9 million Covid-19 cases and nearly 130,000 deaths.
Earlier this week, Fauci testified before a Senate committee, an appearance that aired on television. He delivered another sobering message: that the US could soon see 100,000 new cases a day and that the death toll “is going to be very disturbing, I guarantee it.”
Since then, in states like Texas and Florida, hospitals have continued to fill and reopening measures have been rescinded. States that suffered greatly at the start of the outbreak, New York among them, are also delaying the reopening.
In March and April, as cases increased on the East Coast and elsewhere, members of the White House task force at Covid-19 were familiar figures on American television. Fauci in particular won praise for his calm and pointless advice, which was often contrasted with Donald Trump’s own speculative and confusing messages.
But Fauci last appeared and spoke directly to American television networks on June 12. According to CNN, he and other prominent members of the task force, such as Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Robert Redfield, now rarely grant television interviews.
The unnamed source told CNN that high-profile officials, including Fauci, have been unable to obtain permission to appear despite the fact that “now is the time to send a strong public health message.”
Even figures seen as more susceptible to the administration’s goals have fought for airtime. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams has made only two appearances in the past few weeks, one in a local radio interview and the other on NBC on Friday.
There, Adams avoided answering questions about Trump’s decision not to wear a mask in public gatherings, such as his speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on Friday night.
“Each person has to make their own decision,” said Adams.
Masks were optional at the Mount Rushmore event, while social distancing was not practiced. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top Trump campaign official and girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., was reported to have tested positive for the virus.
CNN added that Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gave a briefing to journalists on June 25, but has otherwise been off the air. Alex Azar, secretary of health and human services, has appeared on most major networks in recent weeks.
CNN said Fauci has been broadcasting his message on other platforms, appearing in media that cannot be used by the White House, such as podcasts and foreign broadcasts.
On Friday, NBC reported that the White House is preparing to change its message about the coronavirus, to tell Americans that they simply should live with it.
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