Live #covid19 discussion with @HelenBranswell @DrNancyM_CDC @RonaldKlain and NIAID director Dr Fauci at the @AspenInstitute. Lots of great info and deep questions. Live steam here: aspeninstitute.org/events/public-… 
Quotes @DrNancyM_CDC- “we cannot hermetically seal the US”
@RonaldKlain: “We cannot discriminate by passport; need to base on science; we live in connected world; we rely on daily imports from China”.
Fauci: “Travel restriction goal is to buy time; it’ll only delay, never stop”
@RonaldKlain: “We cannot discriminate by passport; need to base on science; we live in connected world; we rely on daily imports from China”.
Fauci: “Travel restriction goal is to buy time; it’ll only delay, never stop”
3) Quotes: @DrNancyM_CDC “People like responding, never preparing”
@RonaldKlain: “Single best public policy is sustained public health investments, not boom and bust; we’ve now built 60 Ebola ready hospitals; consistently investing”
@RonaldKlain: “Single best public policy is sustained public health investments, not boom and bust; we’ve now built 60 Ebola ready hospitals; consistently investing”
4) @HelenBranswell paraphrases Singapore PM: “Singapore may eventually stop tracing each case once community outbreak is sustained”.
Director Fauci: “Risk in the US is relatively low; but possibility is a real possibility. Risk of global pandemic? absolutely yes!” (His emphasis)
Director Fauci: “Risk in the US is relatively low; but possibility is a real possibility. Risk of global pandemic? absolutely yes!” (His emphasis)
5) @DrNancyM_CDC: “We don’t have really good mitigation strategies yet, except social distancing, which are really difficult. Vaccine won’t be ready for 1 year.”
6) @RonaldKlain: “If it gets worse, it’ll be inflicted on HC system; When was Ebola-czar, I was czar of nothing. We have no command and control healthcare, hospitals all locally/state managed; CDC super fast, but in small hospital in middle of country, it doesn’t move quickly”
7) Dr Fauci: “We started working on vaccine- in general 5-8 years to get. But we have good system- from time of 🧬 sequence, we took out gene of protein, put in mRNA platform; time from gene to Phase 1 trial, unless glitch, within 2.5 months; take 3 month P1, then P2 in 6 mo”...
8) Fauci: “even though trial in 3 months, and early P1 results in 6 months; by end of P2, it’ll be a year; it’s also at risk- it’ll cost hundreds and hundreds of millions of $$$ in hope something will work.” #covid19
9) @RonaldKlain: “In US we have emergency approval for vaccine, but outside US, we will someday hit policy barriers of liability risk for vaccine (for approval by other countries)”
10) Fauci: “We need to employ large pharma company to manufacture it. Last time with Ebola vaccine, [Merck] got burned.” @HelenBranswell: Sanofi got burned with Zika vaccine, when emergency passes, people didn’t want it. Manufacturers in difficult situation; only J&J yes so far”
11) Fauci: “Pharma companies don’t have a warm facility to make it: opportunity cost for making vaccine of stopping manufacture something else”.
12) @DrNancyM_CDC: “might be a situation of keeping kids home from school; teleschooling and telemedicine helps keep people from congregating for social distancing; maybe avoid mass gatherings; it’ll buy us more time for eventuality of vaccine, and avoid peaks on HC system”.
13) CFR question from @HelenBranswell- Fauci: “Seasonal flu CFR is 0.1%, pandemic flu is 1%. I think it’ll be 1% or < 1%, but I don’t know; it’s what I’m imagining. If below 1%, it’ll be like a bad influenza. I’m not predicting.”
14) Audience Q - ‘any good line of communication / interagency process’ / social media strategy to spread good info: FAUCI: “Sec Azar leads, but we frequently have meeting chaired by NSC, have Coronavirus Taskforce, comm on daily basis.”
15) @RonaldKlain: “It’s a mistake WH T administration has not appointed a WH main contact/leadership. On social media, public health is behind. Ability of social media to ‘go viral’ - huge challenge to public health community”
16) FAUCI: “We want to send our people to help the Chinese; our CDC has office there; but not allowed yet to have ‘boots on ground’”
17) @DrNancyM_CDC: “We have countermeasure for flu - get flu shot; but we don’t have a countermeasure for #covid19”. “Troubling story of Asian rider on a metro, people moved away from him— very troubling”.
18) @RonaldKlain: “Virus #covid19 infects humans, not just chinese; we must take strong stand against discrimination; against kids being bullied on playground”
19) @DrNancyM_CDC: “Thank the military for helping house (quarantined) people; they are not barracks. We are also evaluating #covid19 virus survival on different surfaces”.
20) @DrNancyM_CDC: “R0 is around 2-4; but hard to know if patients overlaps or if rigorous evaluation; are data outside of China reflective of what’s inside of China.”
21) Fauci: “Highly likely its a ‘jump’ virus 🦠 species from animal based on phylogenetic trees.”
22) Facemasks: @DrNancyM_CDC “Face masks are effective when used - but best on someone who is sick. But am I recommending Americans to buy face masks? No, not right now”
23) @DrNancyM_CDC: “New emergency response funds affect how we can respond. Availability of those resources to move quickly. Congress (funding) allowed us to that.” @RonaldKlain: “Emergency fund not going to be enough; we need emergency supplemental; hope OMB is preparing”
