After 20,000 deaths, why are we still attacking doctors?

By: Paul Hyde

Outlets: South Carolina Daily Gazette

Published: June 5, 2026

Words: 785

Last Updated: 6 days, 11 hours ago

South Carolina lost more than 20,000 people to COVID-19.

A tragedy of that scale should have strengthened respect for public health expertise.

Instead, in some quarters, it inspired political backlash against the very officials charged with saving lives.

Dr. Brannon Traxler and Dr. Edward Simmer have been treated as convenient targets.

Both are physicians. Both are highly trained. Both stepped into leadership roles at the state’s public health agency

Create a free account to access this story and more

Join Plucky Wire to access full stories, collaborate with newsrooms, and discover content from networks around the world.