JACKSON — Gov. Tate Reeves bemoaned the politicization of the COVID-19 coronavirus last week, reported Mississippi Today. He complained that there are “certain groups that want to politicize everything.”
Hmmm. To whom was the governor addressing his concern?
The “certain group” most politicizing the pandemic is led by his political hero, President Donald Trump. News reports aplenty, starting back in March, attest to that. Here are some.
“Since imploring his opponents not to politicize coronavirus, Trump has repeatedly politicized it.” — The Washington Post, March 3
“Trump Is Politicizing the Pandemic. Governors Can Fight Back.” — The New York Times, April 2
“Experts Worry About Dangerous Trend Of Trump Politicizing Scientific Results In Midst Of Pandemic” — Kaiser Health News, May 22
“How President Trump Politicized School Reopenings” — Time, July 9
“Experts Warn Trump Administration is ‘Politicizing’ Pandemic Data” — HealthLeaders-.com, July 15
“After politicizing pandemic, Trump says Biden ‘playing politics’ on COVID-19” — NBC News, Aug. 13
If by some chance the governor was addressing his remarks to the president, Trump would do well to listen.
“We are in the middle of a pandemic,” Reeves continued. “And what we are trying to do is encourage Mississippians to do the right things based on data, based on evidence, based on the best advice we get from our experts.”
Unlike Trump, who has now distanced himself from his top health experts, Reeves has consistently stayed closed to his. While not as fast or comprehensive as state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs might have wished, Reeves has implemented his recommendations for a statewide mask mandate, social distancing, targeted shutdowns and other protective provisions to slow down virus contagion.
Consequently, Mississippi has recently seen a much better and faster improvement in case numbers and related deaths than the U.S. as a whole. On Sept. 7, the state reported no coronavirus deaths for the first time since late March.
Meanwhile, Dobbs felt the need to take issue with another Trump virus-related politicization.
In May, Business Insider and other news outlets reported that Trump and members of the White House’s coronavirus task force were putting pressure on the CDC to alter how it counts virus deaths. Then, two weeks ago the CDC issued updated guidance on virus-related deaths, stating coronavirus was the sole cause of death on only 6% of virus-related death certificates.
Dobbs and several coroners told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal the CDC numbers misrepresented actual virus death rates.
They pointed out that very few death certificates ever list a “sole” death cause. Instead, they show a primary cause of death plus one or more underlying contributing conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, or pneumonia.
“I have never filled out a death certificate – and I’ve done it for years until recently – where I just put one thing,” Dobbs said. Lee County coroner Carolyn Green and Monroe County coroner Alan Gurley agreed.
Former top Trump health expert Dr. Andrew Fauci agreed, too, saying so on “Good Morning America.”
Keep your mouth free of perversity ... . — Proverbs 4: 24
• Bill Crawford, of Jackson, is a Republican former state legislator.
