Today feels like something of a turning point in public awareness about the coronavirus. CDC’s warnings, Congressional anger at admin, growing concern about pandemic coming to a head. A brief thread thehill.com/policy/healthc… 1/
I spent the day talking to smart public health experts like @DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk. All of them say coronavirus spread through US is inevitable at this point. What matters is how US govt prepares (or doesn’t). 2/
@DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk “We’ve seen what this disease can do. We’ve seen what it did in China. We’ve seen what it did on the cruise ship,” says @JeremyKonyndyk. “This is a highly transmissible disease, and there’s nothing magic about China that means it’s going to spread there and not here.” 3/
@DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk CDC’s @DrNancyM_CDC talked to her kids about the virus this morning, she told reporters. Her stark warning: “Disruption to everyday life might be severe.” 4/
@DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk @DrNancyM_CDC Members of Congress don’t think Trump admin’s request for $2.5 billion in supplemental spending is enough. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) said he’s concerned HHS is “lowballing” the amount they really need. 5/
@DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk @DrNancyM_CDC “This is going to cost, it looks like, at least $100 billion to the world. Maybe 10 times that,” says @DrTomFrieden. He warns, too, that appropriated funds take time to start flowing. 6/
@DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk @DrNancyM_CDC Potentially serious threats extend beyond the virus itself. Supply chain disruptions mean potential drug manufacturing delays and shortages for common prescriptions. Make sure you have a 3-month supply of the Rxs you take. 7/
@DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk @DrNancyM_CDC Personal protective equipment (PPE) is in short supply too. HHS Sec. Azar said the US Govt has a stockpile of 30m masks. But he said they need 300m(!) to protect front-line health care workers alone. 8/
@DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk @DrNancyM_CDC Public health officials are also concerned about Pres. Trump’s messaging. Downplaying the threat to calm markets is a short-term play that can REALLY backfire if cases start transmitting in the US, further eroding trust in govt. Something the Obama admin learned w/ Ebola 9/
@DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk @DrNancyM_CDC “If you mislead [the public] and tell them it’s going to be okay and it’s not, then you have the double impact of a real problem on top of major distrust,” says @mtosterholm. 10/
@DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk @DrNancyM_CDC “The overarching priority of White House messaging seems to be to project calm and to project that the risk is low. And that is responsible if in fact the domestic transmission risk is low, as it was about Ebola,” says @JeremyKonyndyk. "In this case it is not." 11/
@DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk @DrNancyM_CDC Another big worry: Epidemic team at National Security Council has been dismantled. Admin has tapped a task force, but no one’s full-time job is to manage the response yet. Again, Obama admin lesson: They eventually tapped @ronaldklain to oversee response. 12/
@DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk @DrNancyM_CDC @RonaldKlain “It’s inevitable that it will be spread within the US. Now how widespread it is, how much harm it causes, that only time will tell,” says @DrTomFrieden thehill.com/policy/healthc…
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@DrTomFrieden @mtosterholm @JeremyKonyndyk @DrNancyM_CDC @RonaldKlain Excellent reporting from my colleagues @NateWeixel on CDC warnings (thehill.com/policy/healthc…) and @NivElis on a wild day on the Hill (thehill.com/policy/healthc…) 14/14
