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A prominent healthcare advocacy group is calling for the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr<\/a>, to step down from his post after he downplayed Covid-19 risks by saying: \u201cI\u2019m not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.\u201d<\/p>\n Kennedy, who was appointed secretary of the federal health and human services (HHS) department despite his avowed anti-vaccine activism<\/a>, made that remark<\/a> on the 12 February episode of Theo Von\u2019s podcast This Past Weekend.<\/p>\n The president of Protect Our Care, Brad Woodhouse, issued<\/a> a one-word statement on Kennedy\u2019s comments: \u201cResign.\u201d<\/p>\n The group added that Kennedy\u2019s comment about cocaine \u2013 which as recently as 2023 was involved in nearly 30,000 overdose deaths in the US \u2013 \u201ccontinues to lay bare why he is the most dangerous \u2026 person ever to lead such an important federal agency\u201d.<\/p>\n Kennedy on the podcast mentioned the drug in reference to his continued attendance at in-person recovery meetings during the pandemic. \u201cLike, if I don\u2019t, if I don\u2019t treat it, which means for me going to meetings every day, it\u2019s just bad for my life,\u201d said Kennedy, who has spoken publicly about past struggles with drug addiction.<\/p>\n The commentary marked another controversial moment for Kennedy during his first year as health secretary for the Donald Trump White House. He has also faced criticism over his handling of US measles<\/a> outbreaks that have left several people dead from a disease that had been declared eliminated from the country in 2000.<\/p>\n Amid those outbreaks, Kennedy has portrayed measles vaccination \u2013 long proven safe \u2013 as a personal choice rather than universal need, instead boosting spurious treatments.<\/p>\n The health secretary\u2019s new dietary guidelines have also spurred worry that his prioritizing of meat and dairy will cause health problems. Critics add that pushing for meat-heavy diets will deal a blow to the environment<\/a>, with forests razed to make way for agricultural land.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, public trust in Kennedy and the American healthcare system has dropped.<\/p>\n