EXCLUSIVE: Budget managers involved in Utah’s initial COVID-19 response were skeptical of the value of medical expertise and attempted to resist or subvert their expertise, @sltrib reports. https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2021/01/03/exclusive-utah-leaders/

100s of emails obtained by @sltrib reveal a power struggle between @utahgomb and health leaders. Budget leaders called for an economy-focused strategy that clamped down quickly on the virus, flooded the state with testing and a swift return to work.

The agency advanced this strategy by signing massive, no-bid contracts for testing and data analysis. It curated what data and research available to @govherbert as he made public health decisions.

In email correspondence, state epidemiologist @Drangelacdunn called the agency’s interference out of control. “We are in danger of losing trust with ... [t]he public, which will make controlling this pandemic even harder,” she wrote.

. @utahgomb then-leader Kristen Cox — who declined to talk to @sltrib for this story — warned of the danger or over-reliance on epidemiologists.

In an email, she described @utahdepofhealth staffers as being proficient in dealing with policies and grants, but wanted “independent thinkers” to oversee major COVID-19 projects.

Records show that Cox’s primary goal wasn’t halting the spread of COVID-19, even when case counts were spiraling out of control. Instead, she argued against broader-based public health restrictions that she believed would cripple the economy.

This story is an exclusive from The Salt Lake Tribune. To support local journalism, and help the @sltrib continue to do accountability journalism, subscribe here: https://www.sltrib.com/subscribe/