Thursday, March 5, 2020

97,381/3348 Now have 12th death in USA – another of the Seattle nursing home. Total cases in the USA = 152. Seattle seeing community spread (see above). Did Full Senate and Full House briefings in the Capitol Visitor Center with Azar, and some members of Task Force. Some hostility between Azar and Congressman for Texas regarding the issue of the Congressman questioning whether CDC people were properly PPE’d when they brought expatriated people from Diamond Queen. Following the briefings, we did a press conference. Many hostile questions regarding what the POTUS said that AM on Hannity. He said that most people who get infected and do very well and can go back to work. He obviously misunderstood the briefing of him that most people whore infected (>80%) do well and do not need hospitalization. He also quoted a modeling study from CDC (Spoken by Brett Giroir) that the real CFR was between 0.1% and 1.0%. The press asked me how this could differ from the WHO number of 2-3%. I explained that the WHO only counts cases that come to the attention of the medical community (and this was pure arithmetic of numerator (deaths) and denominator (number of recognized infected people) and the CDC model was making assumptions about the actually number of infected people who might be asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic and not get noticed. Did a Podcast with Alan Alda (really wonderful guy). Congress passed a $8.3 billion supplement for coronavirus. NIAID gets $826 million Govenor Inslee of Washington State called me even though the VP was on his way to visit the Govenor and asked me my opinion about mitigation, i.e. should they start it. I told him a definitely yes. He said that he trusts me and no body else in the administration. I also answered a number of questins from him and his staff. Someone still is planting stories to discredit Azar. Judy Steckler (HHS) has asked me on a couple of occasions (see above) to call the reported and give the other side of the story which I have done. Press stories that the White House did not like the Profile of me in Politico since it is off message (Really???). Yet everyone in the WH is congratulating me on the piece (watch your back, Tony). I am pretty safe, I believe since the public adulation of me has been amazing with every young intern as well as seasoned veteran in the WH coming over to me congratulating me and thanking me for my work and even asking for selfies. Bad news with another cruise ship – Grand Princess. A person was on the ship, did not feel well, got off in a port in California, then was hospitalized, tested positive for COVID-19 and died. Now the cruise ship wants to dock in SF. Not being allowed Several people on board have respiratory sxs. Flying tests in to see if there is infection on the ship. If there is, we will have to quarantine the entire population of the ship OFF the ship to avoid a Diamond princess situation. Problem is that logistically we have no easy way to quarantine 4000 people. More tomorrow when we get results of tests. PRESS: FOX Business with Lou Dobbs; CNN Town Hall with Anderson Cooper.