Thread by @DonnaYoungDC

HHS Paul Mango: Dealing in a world of uncertainty with #COVID19 #vaccines.
Don't know timing, quantity.
Different storage; some 1 dose, some 2 dose; Different days apart.
This is really a quite extraordinary logistically uncertainty
We are prepared for all of those uncertainties.

#WarpSpeed Paul Ostrowski: Doesn't do any good to have safe/effective #COVID19 #vaccines if can't distribute them

#WarpSpeed Paul Ostrowski: Control: We absolutely positively have to have control over each of these #vaccines as they are distributed.

[Cue Janet Jackson]

#COVID19

#WarpSpeed Paul Ostrowski: These vaccines are not interchangeable.
So have to make sure have full aspects of what vaccine people received, where, when.

#COVID19 #vaccines

#WarpSpeed Paul Ostrowski: This is not a pull system. This has to be pushed.

#COVID19 #vaccines

HHS #WarpSpeed #COVID19 #vaccines distribution strategy
cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-m…
hhs.gov/sites/default/… #CDC

Q: Status of database?
#WarpSpeed Paul Ostrowski: The database exists today: States have immunization info systems. Also local pharmacies have databases themselves.
Hard part is being able to get them to talk to one another.
In process of developing data link.

#vaccines #COVID19

.@CDCDirector: We don't know the level of immunity will be required to interrupt sustained transmission
It's clearly the objective of having a safe/efficacious vaccine is to vaccinate public with goal of achieving no longer sustained transmission of this virus

#COVID19 #vaccines

Q: Ability to pay #COVID19 #vaccines
Official: Distribution/administration will be paid for either by the commercial insurers, Medicaid, uninsured through the Provider Relief Fund & working thru last stages of Medicare fee for service/worst case pay $3.50.

#WarpSpeed Paul Ostrowski: Once #FDA grants BLA or EUA, #COVID19 #vaccines will be moved within 24 hours.
McKesson uses numerous transportation companies.
We will move that as fast as possible after get word from FDA on BLA or EUA.

#WarpSpeed Paul Ostrowski: #CDC's #ACIP recommendations on fair allocation will make its way through process & provide the decision to McKesson & #COVID19 #vaccines will roll from there.
Won't know efficacy until end of phase 3, BLA or EUA.

#WarpSpeed Paul Ostrowski: #COVID19 #vaccines contracts are between ourselves, U.S. government and private entities, and they are releasable to an extent. Obviously, everything cannot be released, but they are releasable to an extent, and they will be made available at some point

Next up: @CDCDirector Redfield testifies on Review of #Coronavirus Response Efforts at @SenateApprops Labor/HHS Subcommittee with @PHEgov Kadlec & @HHS_ASH Giroir appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/revie… #COVID19

Here's #HHS's PR on #WarpSpeed's/#CDC #COVID19 #vaccines distribution strategy. Note how this administration is increasingly putting "Trump" at the head of its PRs. hhs.gov/about/news/202…

@SecAzar pretty much always starts out anything by praising Trump first.

Democracy?

What has been missing in the U.S. #COVID19 response is consistent data-driven, science-based expertise "speaking regularly, daily or multiple times a week, explaining what we know, how we know it, what we're learning, when we'll learn it." - @DrTomFrieden spglobal.com/marketintellig…

Senate hearing with @CDCDirector Robert Redfield, @PHEgov Kadlec & @HHS_ASH Giroir starting now finally [a bit delayed] appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/revie…
c-span.org/video/?475764-… #COVID19 #vaccines #CDC

.@RoyBlunt now trying to deflect Trump's poor handling of #COVID19 by claiming U.S. #Ebola response was not handled well.
🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

200,000 Americans are dead from COVID-19.

.@PattyMurray: As our country approaches a tragic milestone — 200,000 dead from #COVID19 — our rising death count represents countless personal losses.
You deserve leaders who take this crisis seriously.
Unfortunately, we have yet to see that leadership from Trump.

.@PattyMurray: Trump admitted #COVID19 was more deadly than most strenuous flu, but intentionally played down crisis.
Recordings weren't revelation. Reality has been painfully obvious for months. Early on, Trump not only claimed this virus was contained/go away, said was "hoax."

.@PattyMurray criticizes Trump's political appointees for trying to muzzle Fauci & interfering with @CDCMMWR - #CDCs flagship scientific publication.

"Trump administration needs to leave science to scientists. Full stop."

#COVID19

.@HHS_ASH Giroir at hearing urges wearing #masks & avoiding crowds, while his boss, Trump, repeatedly does just the opposite & breaks states' rules/mandates.

#COVID19 #MaskUp #socialdistancing

.@PHEgov Robert Kadlec is now testifying at Senate Appropriations Labor/HHS Subcommittee.
Kadlec's job is to lead U.S. public health emergency responses.
But Kadlec has been largely invisible throughout the #COVID19 pandemic.

.@CDCDirector Redfield says #CDC has brought its scientific expertise to the frontlines.

[But that political interference that's now left Americans/US medical community to question every document from CDC?]

#COVID19

.@CDCDirector Redfield: #CDC purchased 9.3M doses of adult #influenza vaccine up from usual 500,000, as well as 18.5M doses for children.
He notes CDC has developed a new multiplex labs test that can check for #flu A & B + #SARSCoV2; Granted EUA by #FDA.

#COVID19

.@CDCDirector Redfield: Now is the time to commit to sustained investment in core capabilities of public health.
Years of underinvestment has led to system sorely tested by current pandemic.

[Now is the time???]
#COVID19 #CDC

.@RoyBlunt: We could reach 100M tests between #SharkTank #RADx & Abbott alone in October, is that right?
@HHS_ASH Giroir: Yes.
125M to 135M available. But that doesn't mean they will be DONE.

#COVID19

.@HHS_ASH Giroir repeatedly focuses on number of #COVID19 tests but not the timeline for results/accuracy.

.@HHS_ASH Giroir insists #COVID19 testing "turnaround time is under control."

Evidence?

.@PattyMurray: Anybody advise Trump to downplay #COVID19 crisis.
.@CDCDirector Redfield: No
Murray: Did you advise him to downplay?
Redfield: I'm not going to comment on that.

#COVID19

.@CDCDirector Redfield: At no time has the scientific integrity of MMWR been compromised. Under my watch it will not be compromised.

#COVID19 #CDC

.@PattyMurray asks about Caputo's claims about #CDC officials engaged in "sedition" & are "deep state" aiming to undermine Trump.
.@CDCDirector Redfield: Not only is it not true, it deeply saddened me when I read those comments.

[Only saddened? Not outraged?]

#COVID19

.@PattyMurray: Can you reject unfounded claims #CDC or other fed scientists are part of a "deep state" to undermine Trump?
.@HHS_ASH Giroir: I have not seen anything out of CDC, HRSA & people at other agencies other than acting in best interests of American people.

#COVID19

.@PHEgov Kadlec: We do need to meet investments over the long term.
Domestic manufacturing for biologics & vaccines.
Need capacity to manage stockpiles for commercial/state level.
Need require hospitals to have basic stockpiles.
Need biz model to support that.

#COVID19

.@SenatorDurbin: #COVID19 vaccine in 3 or 4 weeks?
.@PHEgov Kadlec: It's possible.
Then he clarifies "That's manufactured."
Uncertain on #FDA clearance for any vaccine right now.

Durbin points out Trump again insisted would have vaccine in 3 to 4 weeks from now.

.@HHS_ASH: The number of cases are going to be the number of cases.
The more testing you do the more cases you will discover. But the cases will be there no matter what.

[completely opposite of what Trump claims]

#COVID19

.@SenatorDurbin: Trump's claims he has #Obamacare replacement?
@HHS_ASH Giroir: I'm not involved in the replacement plan.
@PHEgov Kadlec: Not in my portfolio
@CDCDirector Redfield: It's not in my main lane but I'm not aware of one

[If there's a plan, they'd all have involvement]

So all of these top #HHS health officials said today they are unaware of any #Obamacare replacement plan from Trump.

If there's really a plan, they would all have parts to play in it.

#ACA governs U.S. health care largely.

But they claim it's not in their lane/portfolio?

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

.@SenJohnKennedy: When will there be a #COVID19 #vaccines?
.@CDCDirector Redfield: Sometime between November & December but limited supply.
For generally available to American public, probably looking at late 2nd quarter, 3rd quarter 2021.

.@SenJackReed: Appropriate leadership Trump not wearing masks?
.@HHS_ASH: As a uniformed officer, I'm not going to comment about the president .🙄🙄🙄
But they Giroir urges to wear #masks.
Reed: You just contradicted Trump.

#MaskUp #COVID19

.@PHEgov Kadlec: We are supportive of #masks.
He [Trump] as an individual can exercise his right to do that.

.@SenJackReed: But he's the leader of the country & he's rejecting your advice.

#MaskUp

.@CDCDirector Redfield: I'm not going to comment directly about the president.
But face masks are the most important public health tool we have.

.@SenJackReed notes Redfield, too, contradicted Trump, despite Redfield's refusal to acknowledge it.

#COVID19 #MaskUp #masks

.@CDCDirector Redfield notes #COVID19 #vaccines distribution strategy out earlier today. hhs.gov/about/news/202… #CDC #WarpSpeed

.@CDCDirector reiterates #CDC still supports 14-day quarantine if people think they've been exposed to #COVID19.

.@SenatorShaheen brings up $250M PR campaign to put positive spin on #COVID19
"Congress didn't direct #HHS to conduct this campaign."
Wouldn't it be better to give info to Americans/ensure people have health care they need?
@HHS_ASH Giroir claims he's not involved in PR campaign

.@CDCDirector Redfield says he's hopeful the new rules allowing pharmacists to give #vaccines to younger age group is going to have a significant impact on the #RuralHealth communities.

#COVID19 #RuralAmerica

.@CDCDirector insists people "misinterpreted" changes to #CDC testing #COVID19 asymptomatic.
He insists he "published" a statement [NO, he provided that statement to some reporters: "Testing may be considered for all close contacts of confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients."]

.@SenJeffMerkley: You told governors to prepare for the distribution of #COVID19 #vaccines on Nov 1. Who in the administration asked you to choose that particular day.
.@CDCDirector: No one sir.
Merkley: So, your own political motivation to try to influence the election?

.@SenatorLankford blasts colleagues for getting political today & then he brings up his concerns about "aborted fetal tissue" use in vaccines. 🙄🙄🙄

.@SenatorBaldwin to @PHEgov Kadlec: When we're six months into the pandemic & we still can't get the supplies we need, & you've identified supplies that are in high demand, you should use the money we appropriated to obtain those things.

#COVID19 #PPE #masks

.@LindseyGrahamSC now essentially doing some political campaigning for Trump during today's Senate hearing.

#COVID19

.@CDCDirector Redfield: Spent $600M to get #COVID19 #vaccines distribution up but funds aren't sufficient for all 64 jurisdictions.
Take 6 to 9 months to get the American public vaccinated to have immunity.

.@LindseyGrahamSC obviously using this hearing today to push back against @realBobWoodward's book "#Rage"

#COVID19

.@CDCDirector Redfield notes #FDA standard for #COVID19 #vaccines is 50% efficacy.
As soon as it gets approved, want to be in position to distribute within 24 hours.
It has potential to save a lot lives in November/December.

[We DON'T know now if any of them actually WORK?]

.@ChrisMurphyCT: Trump says wants less testing. Then #CDC changes guidelines on #COVID19 asymptomatic.
But belies any reason to encourage fewer to get tested.
.@CDCDirector: What we were trying to say is testing should be linked to an action.

.@CDCDirector again insists he "published" a statement clarifying Trump admin's confusing changes to #CDC testing guidelines for asymptomatic.
CDC spox emailed this to reporters: "Testing may be considered for all close contacts of confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients."

Here's #CDC's statements page.
cdc.gov/media/releases…
@CDCDirector testified he "published" his asymptomatic clarification his spox emailed to reporters late-night Aug. 26.
So where did Redfield publish it?
Revised test page remains same as Aug. 24
cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…

.@CDCDirector Redfield acknowledges he was directed by HHS & OMB to transfer $300M from its funding to HHS ASPA for that $250M PR campaign to put a positive spin on #COVID19.
Then he says #CDC hasn't been involved so far in that campaign.

Here's that letter from @CDCDirector Redfield to states where he "urgently" requested that states issue McKesson the permits it needs/waive requirements so its facilities can be fully operational by Nov. 1 to distribute #COVID19 #vaccines.

drive.google.com/file/d/13qdjVp…

.@CDCDirector says #CDC is working on a #COVID19 diagnostic & public health use of testing document.
He says CDC makes it very clear that asymptomatic & presymtomatic transmission is important. If exposed, need to be tested/contact traced.
May be out by end of the week.

.@CDCDirector Redfield: #CDC will also be coming out with guidance on screening.
Also developing follow up guidance for surveillance.

.@RoyBlunt noted today Senate has proposed $6B for #COVID19 #vaccines distribution
.@CDCDirector says #CDC estimated need between $5.5B-$6B.
This is going to be a resource-intensive distribution.
Blunt: Hope it will be part of the next relief package.

[Hope?]

So, just to be clear, #CDC needs about $6B to distribute #COVID19 vaccines & doesn't have those funds.

But HHS ASPA took $300M of #CDC's allotted funds for the administration's PR campaign to put a positive spin on COVID-19.

US unveils COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan but lacks funds to carry it out spglobal.com/marketintellig… #CDC #COVID19 #vaccines #pharma #biotech #FDA