Thread by @CherylRofer

.@ferencdv, I don't know what your class is about tomorrow, but I think I would wait a week or so before doing a class on how COVID-19 is being handled by the US government. There's so much we don't know. 1/

https://twitter.com/ferencdv/status/1234301670223298563

@ferencdv [I'm not going to link to every story I cite, because I'm tired. What's important is the questions they raise.] 1a/

@ferencdv There is no central decision-making body for the government on COVID-19. The Pence task force has been formed, but its functions are unclear, and three people have been named as its leaders. 2/

@ferencdv The CDC, one of the most responsible parts of our government, wasted time with a too-complicated test for COVID-19.

There is also a report that the CDC released a patient in San Antonio who turned out to have COVID-19.

Are the problems with CDC management or admin meddling? 3/

@ferencdv The return of Americans from the infected cruise ship was botched in several ways:

1) Against CDC advice, people confirmed with COVID-19 were placed on a plane with those testing negative. 4/

@ferencdv 2) In the US, they were removed from the plane by people who were not trained and did not have protective equipment.

3) A wild idea to transfer them to Anniston, Alabama, seems to have been developed on the fly, with many holes. Fortunately, it was not executed. 5/

@ferencdv Who were the people involved in those decisions? What is their training?

There must be plans or general principles for transporting sick people and the facilities they will need when they arrive. Why were those plans not consulted? 6/

@ferencdv The standard methods for dealing with rumors involve making good information available from authoritative sources. Dr. Anthony Fauci was scheduled for the Sunday news shows. Instead, VP Mike Pence appeared and attacked Democrats. 7/

@ferencdv Are there plans to deal with the absence of critical people? Several firefighters in Washington are under quarantine because they were exposed to people with confirmed COVID-19.

Other essential people will be exposed or sick. How will their duties be covered? 8/

@ferencdv Truck drivers and retail store personnel are also essential to get food and other necessary things to stores and us.

If people are quarantined, or if they are ordered to stay home, will there be allowances for limited shopping for perishables? Can a delivery system be set up? 9/

@ferencdv All those, and probably more, are questions the White House task force should be dealing with. They should be working with the states on them.

Are they?
10/10