Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-28-2020
DOI
10.1599/mqop.2020.0715
Abstract
Adherence to science in health messaging and public policies helped determine which countries have performed well in containing COVID-19. In the United States, President Trump has interfered with and undermined the work of scientific agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, generating public distrust in science and amplifying fears about a future vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. He has also announced that the United States will not join a global partnership that aims to support the development of a vaccine and share access to it.
Science does not always tell us what we want to hear. But we won’t exit this pandemic without political leaders backing sound science.
Publication Citation
Science, Leadership, and Public Trust in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Milbank Quarterly Opinion. September 28, 2020.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Gostin, Lawrence O., "Science, Leadership, and Public Trust in the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2020). Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works. 2308.
https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/2308