Medical chief begs for distance between politics and science

Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association, pleaded with Americans to listen to scientists, not pundits, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Confusion and stubbornness remain threats.

By

National News

April 9, 2020 - 10:00 AM

American Medical Association President-elect Patrice Harris, middle, testifies before the House Ways and Means Committee in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hilll in, 2019. Photo by Chip Smodevilla / Getty Images/ TNS

ATLANTA — The president of the American Medical Association, a Georgia doctor speaking to reporters across the nation from her home base in Atlanta on Tuesday, pleaded with citizens and leaders to listen to science amid the coronavirus pandemic, and to act accordingly.

This year, the AMA, the nation’s premier advocacy group of doctors, is led by Dr. Patrice Harris, an Atlanta-area psychiatrist. Harris didn’t call any leaders or states out by name. But she had choice words for certain practices.

For anyone thinking about Georgia beach parties this weekend, Harris raised “the direct link between a large social gathering and a spike in cases.”

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