AS THE US enters a third surge of coronavirus cases, the two agencies charged with shepherding it through the public health crisis have lost their biggest asset: trust. The impact could be catastrophic, with one expert warning that the country may be heading for a national security crisis.

“Both the FDA and the CDC rely on one common element, which is public trust and confidence,” says J. Stephen Morrison at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC. “That is their essential asset that they have to …