COVID-19 In Immigrants Is A Legitimate Concern, But Not The Primary One, NIH Director Explains

On the right, there is a contradictory mix of narratives about COVID-19. While politicians and public figures downplay the virus, and fight against measures to minimize the damage it can do in this country, they’re simultaneously scrambling to blame someone for it, especially if the scapegoat happens to also fit their political agenda.

Right-wing media and politicians have pointed blame at Biden, for instance, for saying before the election that he would trust doctors and scientists but not Donald Trump, and some conspiracy extremists are actually blaming the vaccinated, claiming they ‘shed’ infectious particles (they don’t), and of course, plenty have blamed China, Wuhan scientists, and Dr. Fauci.

However, the latest trend is to blame immigrants. It’s a two-birds-one-stone tactic: they get to demonize immigrants, while also suggesting that the resurgence of cases is the Biden Administration’s fault for allowing immigrants into the country. Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes for Health, says that this is “a bit of a distraction.”

NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins calls claims about undocumented immigrants spreading COVID in the U.S. a “bit of a distraction.”

"We have got enough of a problem with our own citizens who have refused to roll up their sleeves." pic.twitter.com/1HuPRkLkaK

— The Recount (@therecount) August 16, 2021

He pointed out that the infection rate is actually lower in Mexico currently than in parts of the United States, and said, “We’ve got enough of a problem with our own citizens who have refused to roll up their sleeves, so maybe that would be a better thing to focus on if we’re trying to end this.”

“It’s an issue,” he affirmed, “but it’s certainly not the cause of our current dilemma.”