Politics, polarization and misinformation are wrecking the US response to the COVID-19 pandemic, said the director of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Sunday.

"It's really unfortunate that politics and polarization have gotten in the way of a simple public health measure. This mask that I'm holding has somehow become a symbol that it never should have been. This is basically just a life-saving medical device," Dr. Francis Collins, director of NIH, told the "Fox News Sunday".