Thread by @BBuchman_CNS

COMING UP TODAY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Robert Redfield testifies on the government’s response to #coronavirus and Trump’s 2021 budget request for this agency. I'll have the coverage for @CourthouseNews.

This hearing is slated for 10AM ET.
Link for viewing here:

Witness List for today's hearing:

According to his opening statement, CDC director Redfield will tell lawmakers that the agency is requesting $175M for global health security in 2021.
OPENING STATEMENT: documentcloud.org/documents/6807…
cc: @CourthouseNews

CDC director Redfield is also expected to laud the U.S. response to the outbreak and how "effective" we have been at "slowing the entry... into the U.S." despite "dramatic increases" in China. We may get into this today since Chinese officials reported a decrease in cases Monday

CDC's 2021 budget also includes an additional $40M to support a Sept. '19 executive order modernizing flu vaccine in the US, Redfield will tell members of the Cmte on Appropriations' subcmte.

CDC FY2021 budget also includes $10M allocated for "laboratory capacity" supplies, equipment and specialized training for CDC scientists.

According to his opening remarks: Redfield says that during the first 24 hours CDC rec'd the genomic sequencing data on coronavirus, it developed a diagnostic test kit and began collecting information to validate findings.

Redfield: The CDC then obtained emergency authorization from the FDA for test kit distribution throughout the US.

Redfield will says that since Mar 4. CDC has processed more than 1,500 COVID19.
No specifics.
(I expect Congress to drill down on this once hearing starts)

While the CDC budget hearing unfolds this morning starting at 10AM, VP Pence conducts a briefing with health insurers at 11AM ET according to WH press pool.
Pence then leads a coronavirus task force briefing at 4PM ET, closed to press.
An open briefing kicks off at 530PM ET.

https://twitter.com/BBuchman_CNS/status/1237380081103900675?s=20

Rep. @NitaLowey to CDC director Redfield this morning goes in on lackluster, slow, confusing, federal response to covid19:

Earlier this week she sent a letter to Hahn, Azar and Redfield to use "all powers at their disposable to approve qualified coronavirus lab testing in NY."

Rep. Lowey to CDC dir Redfield: The NY governor is ready to move. They need you to approve these labs, incl. those for hospitals, private labs, other state facilities.

We need to permit both automated and manual processing, she adds.

Lowey: There is "real solid movement" at the state level but "we need you to approve things and move as quickly as possible. There are labs in NY awaiting approval that could greatly expand testing capacity by thousands per day. I don’t know why [feds] waiting for approval."

While a lawmaker coughs loudly several times during Redfield's testimony, he is rubbing his eye.

Sherri Berger, chief strategy officer and chief operating officer for CDC: The $2.2B in emergency funding CDC rec'd from Congress last week - 90% of which will go toward preparedness - will start flowing to grantees in the next two weeks.

Now: CDC director Redfield says CDC will begin reposting daily testing numbers for coronavirus on its website. And once Quest and LabCorp begin getting results, they will "dump" data on the CDC page for people to review.

Now: CDC Director Redfield says that VP Pence is expected to release a coronavirus mitigation strategy for all states and U.S. territories today
"Its a framework for each state to look at areas that are in low, moderate & high risk areas & what they need to do."
@CourthouseNews

All strategies will be slightly different, Redfield says.

Rather than CDC giving blanket recommendations on mitigation/social distancing measures, local health depts have provided info to CDC that will be integrated into Pence's forthcoming mitigation plan

I will have a story coming up for @CourthouseNews soon. Stay tuned.

And I have another separate but related story coming up on #COVID2019.
Now, I am covering a hearing hosted by a Homeland Security subcmte on what communities can do to combat spread of the virus.

This next hearing features testimony from Ron Klain, White House ebola coordinator from '14-'15; Christopher Neuwirth, assistant commish for the Division of Public Health Infrastructure, Labs, Emergency Preparedness in NJ...(a state that saw its 1st coronavirus death today)...

Dr. Nadine Garcia, EVP for Trust America's Health also testifying today and lastly we will hear from Dr Thomas Dobbs III, an infectious disease doc, who as a health officer for Mississippi Public Health Dept is helping lead response to outbreak there.

Again, I will have a full report on this hearing coming for @CourthouseNews but you can watch a live stream here:

The entire state of New Jersey has just 2 coronavirus test kits currently, meaning they can test only 432 people, according to Chris Neuwirth, the assistant commissioner of public health, infrastructure, laboratories and emergency preparedness for NJ DOH.

The entire state of Mississippi has recently received a new batch of tests. They have "a few" remaining but a new shipment included just 700 tests which means that only 350 more people can be tested, according to Dr Thomas Dobbs, state health officer for Miss. DOH

According to testimony from CDC director Stephen Redfield in a separate hearing earlier today, testing capabilities should be built out extensively soon because diagnostic labs like Quest and LabCorps were brought on board Monday to help roll out the tests

Correction - not Stephen Redfield, Robert Redfield.
My sincere apologies.

Story coming up from the CDC director's hearing momentarily.

STORY: The director of the CDC laid out the state of U.S. coronavirus mitigation and containment Tuesday as lawmakers clamored for assurances about the country’s testing capabilities as well as the Trump administration’s approach to the global pandemic.
courthousenews.com/house-grills-c…

On the subject of testing, while Redfield was testifying, I wanted to see what an area hospital would say about the process.

A rep at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Montgomery County, Maryland — where 6 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed — said drs must first call the CDC if a patient who turns up at the emergency room is exhibiting symptoms...

Then the CDC decides whether to grant approval for a test depending on what criteria are met.

When I reached out CDC to drill down on the criteria - including qs for what may prevent a test from being issued - no one returned my calls yet.

Speaking of:

https://twitter.com/HenryGraff/status/1237455011006877696?s=20

Coming up next: I have another story on the #coronavirus featuring pandemic response recommendations for Congress and an assessment of where we are now from a former Ebola czar under Obama.

A former WH Ebola czar told lawmakers the inability of the U.S. to conduct widespread domestic coronavirus testing by this point in the outbreak, while a hard-hit nation like S. Korea tests 100s of 1000s of people, is a failure of policy and execution.
courthousenews.com/obama-ebola-cz…