Salience of Trust in Discussions and Recommendations of the United States’ COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force

Our findings indicate that trust had limited prominence in HETF discussions and recommendations. To rebuild the public's trust, it is imperative that the federal government, in collaboration with state and local partners, further develop actionable mechanisms to foster trust as a pillar of public health practice. By ensuring ethical principles are applied in decision-making and implementation, gaps in (mis)trust may be bridged, ultimately boosting the efficacy of public health emergency response.