{"slug":"trump-scott-atlas-herd-immunity-covid-misinformation","title":"Scott Atlas and Herd Immunity: Trump's COVID Advisor Who Contradicted Scientists","date":"2020-08-10","lastUpdated":"2020-12-01","description":"In August 2020, Trump appointed Scott Atlas — a neuroradiologist with no infectious disease or public health expertise — as a White House COVID-19 advisor. Atlas promoted herd immunity through infection rather than vaccination, opposed mask mandates, and argued against school closures and other containment measures. He contradicted public health guidelines and the positions of the CDC, Dr. Fauci, and Dr. Birx. The Infection Fatality Rate for COVID-19 was too high for natural herd immunity to be achievable without mass death; Atlas's views were rejected by the overwhelming consensus of infectious disease scientists.","summary":"Atlas was a Hoover Institution senior fellow and media commentator with no relevant credentials for pandemic response. Trump appointed him after seeing him on Fox News. Atlas advocated the Great Barrington Declaration approach — allowing the virus to spread among the young and healthy while 'protecting' the vulnerable. Public health experts pointed out this approach was not operationally feasible and would require accepting enormous numbers of preventable deaths. CDC Director Robert Redfield and the Coronavirus Task Force's other scientific advisors repeatedly contradicted Atlas. Deborah Birx described Atlas in her memoir as actively harmful to the pandemic response.","category":"rule-of-law","severity":"critical","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/health/scott-atlas-covid-19.html","title":"Who Is Scott Atlas? A Profile of the Newest and Most Influential Voice on Coronavirus","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-coronavirus-scott-atlas/2020/11/19/0aed5f22-268b-11eb-9c21-3cc501d0981f_story.html","title":"Scott Atlas's misleading claims throughout the pandemic","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/scott-atlas-covid-herd-immunity-trump","title":"Trump's new coronavirus adviser promotes herd immunity","publisher":"The Associated Press"},{"url":"https://stanfordmedicine.org/news/2020/stanford-physicians-oppose-herd-immunity-strategy.html","title":"Stanford physicians oppose herd immunity strategy","publisher":"Stanford Medicine"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["COVID","herd-immunity","Scott-Atlas","first-term","public-health","misinformation"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2020-08-10","title":"Trump appoints Atlas as White House COVID advisor","summary":"Trump appoints Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist and Hoover Institution fellow, as a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Atlas had been appearing on Fox News advocating for reopening and against containment measures."},{"date":"2020-08-24","title":"Stanford faculty sign letter criticizing Atlas","summary":"More than 80 Stanford Medicine faculty members sign an open letter stating that Atlas's public statements are 'contrary to science' and urging him to 'be guided by the best available science.' The letter notes Atlas is not an expert in infectious disease or public health."},{"date":"2020-10-04","title":"Great Barrington Declaration — Atlas promotes","summary":"The Great Barrington Declaration is published, advocating for natural herd immunity through infection. Atlas promotes the declaration; the CDC and WHO reject the approach. Hundreds of thousands of epidemiologists sign a counter-declaration."},{"date":"2020-11-19","title":"Atlas urges Michigan residents to 'rise up' against restrictions","summary":"After Michigan Governor Whitmer imposes COVID restrictions, Atlas posts a tweet urging Michigan residents to 'rise up' — a message widely condemned as potentially inciting action against public health officials."},{"date":"2020-12-01","title":"Atlas resigns","summary":"Atlas resigns from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. His resignation letter thanks Trump. By the end of the month, U.S. COVID deaths exceed 350,000."}],"location":{"name":"Washington, D.C.","lat":38.9072,"lng":-77.0369},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Americans who died of COVID-19 as containment measures were undermined; vulnerable populations (elderly, immunocompromised) who bore the burden of natural herd immunity strategies","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President; appointed Atlas; relied on his advice over credentialed scientists","institution":"White House"},{"name":"Scott Atlas","role":"White House COVID advisor; advocated herd immunity through infection","institution":"White House Coronavirus Task Force"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2020-12-01","summary":"Updated with resignation."}]}}