Staff Reports
Dr. Janette Nesheiwat has taken the scenic route on the COVID-19 response, demonstrating that in the world of public health advice, it’s all about who’s got the best pivot moves. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated her to be the next U.S. Surgeon General, and while she once boldly championed masks, social distancing, and vaccines, her opinions now reflect a significant departure from that script. One might say she was practicing her public health cha-cha throughout the pandemic, and now it seems she’s ready for a bold two-step in the opposite direction.
Back in March 2020, Nesheiwat was fervently pushing the six-foot social distancing rule on national television, warning viewers to avoid crowded areas as if they might catch a case of the common cold. Alas, her early claims have since been criticized by even the most ardent defenders of the pandemic protocols. Experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have sheepishly admitted that those six feet of separation might not have been grounded in “verifiable data.” In the meantime, a good chunk of the population managed to stroll blissfully through parks without masks and without contracting the virus, raising questions about the efficacy of those protocols.
Trump's Surgeon General pick says she would not support mask, vaccine mandates or school closures in the case of another pandemic…
“That’s wrong”pic.twitter.com/X5rp3m9TiS
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) November 25, 2024
As her nomination rolls out, Trump is throwing down the gauntlet with hyperbolic promises about making America healthy again, and Nesheiwat is playing along beautifully. But her evolution from strict adherence to pandemic guidelines to a more relaxed approach by the end of 2022 is enough to raise eyebrows. It seems the surgeon general’s position could serve as both a soapbox and a trampoline—a chance to bounce around a few ideas, if you will.
In what can only be described as an epic pivot of Olympic proportions, she recently acknowledged the ineffectiveness of lockdowns and flimsy masks. Individuals at high risk were suddenly the central theme, almost as if she had discovered the world didn’t actually revolve around community-wide mandates. Who would have thought that after rigorously adhering to government lines, a medical professional could come out swinging against the very strategies they had once promoted?
However, the juxtaposition of her views against those of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—a figure more often than not relegated to the role of the rebellious “anti-vaxxer”—is rich with irony. While Kennedy insists on transparency and personal choice regarding vaccines, Nesheiwat’s whirlwind of health proclamations now focuses on informed risk management. It’s almost as if the pandemic was a game of tug-of-war but everyone forgot to let go of the rope.
The road ahead looks promising for Trump’s public health nominees. With other picks like Dave Weldon and Marty Makary on board, there’s a renewed emphasis on scientifically-backed recommendations free from the pandemic hysteria. While Nesheiwat’s past stances could provide fodder for future comedic takes on public health recommendations, it seems she has decided that a more grounded approach is—finally—what the doctor ordered. As the proverbial lights come on in this ongoing drama of public health, one can only hope that this time, the dance floor shall not be littered with poorly fitting masks and dubious science.
