Dr. Stefanos Kales, a professor of medicine at Harvard University, says the government's public health response to the pandemic has been "a big mistake."

Dr. Stefanos Kales, a professor of medicine at Harvard University, has joined the chorus of voices who are saying the government's response to the pandemic was a mistake and public health officials should shift to a policy of protecting the vulnerable.

"I think what we saw is the danger of turning over public policy and public health recommendations to people who have had their careers exclusively focused on infectious diseases as opposed to public health in general," said Kales, who also serves as a director at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Kale, who made the comments in an interview on CNBC, said it was "a big mistake" to ignore economic considerations while responding to the pandemic.