Thread by @jeremyfaust

This afternoon I had a genuinely substantive and--as always--very cordial phone conversation with @WHO leadership @DrTedros and @MVanKerkhove.

It is clear to me that the comments (and some
interpretation) yesterday do not reflect their current thinking.

Good!
So, brief🧵1/

The top line points are these:
-The WHO is doing detailed contact tracing (CT) in many nations.
-This symptom-free spread of this particular virus may not be adequately captured by CT. (In my view, CT substantially misses important fraction of this; we'll see in the future...)

-CT is just one of many tools we have to understand the spread of this virus. It should be used and interpreted in that context.
-CT is necessary but it is NOT sufficient, both because of the phase we are in many places (too many cases) and the biology of this particular virus.

-CT can very helpfully guide individual safe action, though, when it works. So it remains key and can save lives.
-CT does NOT QUANTIFY symptom-free spread, especially in a virus that apparently can do this for far longer than most respiratory viruses.

-So the press comment yesterday was confusing on that point--and it's great that it's been clarified.

Whether this is a "walk-back" or a "clarification of what was really meant," is a bit besides the point, other than from a comms perspective.

What matters is that we agree...

As @mvankerkhove said to me today, we are in uncharted territory.

Science will move us forward. Yes we will get things right and get things wrong. We're learning.

But we must always be careful generalizing one piece of data more broadly than is appropriate. That's a truism.

The important thing is we keep the dialogue open so that misinformation or misinterpretation of information does not go uncorrected or misunderstood.

Symptom-free spread (asymptomatic + presymptomatic) is a big part of this story.

That we know.
Much to learn.

Thanks all! /fin