- A top US doctor said the Biden administration needed to get its messaging together on COVID-19.
- Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said different agencies haven’t always been on the “same page.”
- “I think that part has been a real problem,” Jha said in a Fox News interview.
Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health said on Sunday the Biden administration has inconsistent messaging on its COVID-19 response, creating a “real problem.”
“We have different agencies that have not been on the same page, John,” Jha said during an appearance on Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday.” “And I think that part has been a real problem.”
While Jha said that the administration of former President Donald Trump put out inaccurate information related COVID-19, he said that Trump’s administration had stronger consistency between agencies than the Biden administration.
Jha’s remarks drew backlash online, prompting Jha to clarify that he believed both messaging and accurate mattered to different degrees. The “Trump administration cared little about accuracy and often spread misinformation,” he said, adding the “Biden team needs to work on consistency. They are not equivalent.”
—Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) January 16, 2022
Jha said during the Fox News interview on Sunday the White House, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health have sometimes had different messaging during the Biden administration.
“I think the White House needs to get its messaging discipline together, needs to make sure that people are speaking from the same page,” Jha said. “My sense is that that has not been happening consistently. And it would be enormously helpful to the American people if that messaging was more consistent.”
Federal agencies have recently been criticized for shifting and inconsistent guidance and communication on topics including the rollout of vaccine booster shots, face masks, and isolation guidance for when someone is exposed to or tests positive for COVID-19.
Jha last week said Americans who need to return to society after testing positive for COVID-19 should get a negative antigen test or wear a “high-quality mask” after the CDC said people only needed to isolate for just five days upon a positive test, rather than the previous 10 day recommendation.
