As an ER doc in a rural county with spiking cases of #coronavirus, we need @realDonaldTrump's new daily briefings about the #pandemic to be *much* different from last time. No more talk about bleach. No more misinformation about medicine. And he should finally wear a mask. (1/10)
I genuinely hope the President wears a mask to the press briefing as a signal to the several million people watching on TV that wearing a mask is simple and important. At a minimum I hope he encourages all Americans to #maskup. A national mandate would be better. (2/10)
He should explain that the massive increases in cases of #COVID19 are not merely the products of increased testing, but given a significant rise in test positive rates, are indicative of uncontrolled transmission in many areas of many states. (3/10)
He should tell us what plans he has for areas like mine, where we have a spike in cases but the number of hospitalizations are still not rising. How can we avoid becoming the next Miami, Phoenix, or Houston? How do we keep my small hospital from becoming overwhelmed? (4/10)
He should acknowledge that we're not currently doing enough testing, especially rapid-turn-around testing, to sufficiently meet the needs of most states. The current 600-700k tests/day is at least 50% shy of the number needed to truly define the extent of infections. (5/10)
He must tell us how to safely open schools in areas of decreasing cases, and why opening schools is too risky in places like parts of FL, TX, AZ and CA due to the virus being out of control. We must ensure the safety of our kids, their teachers and our communities. (6/10)
He must call for the Federal government to fund & provide a massive increase in rapid-turn-around testing, so that when a student or teacher exhibits concerning symptoms for #COVID19, they can know their test results in 24-48 hours limiting their time out of the classroom. (7/10)
He must refrain from discussing unproven treatments for #COVID19, and leave any discussion of therapeutics, vaccines, or methods of treatment to the health professionals on the task force, namely Dr. Birx, Dr. Redfield, or Dr. Fauci. In other words: stay in his lane. (8/10)
He must assure us that he has the ultimate confidence in the counsel of Dr. Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases and public health, and that the well-being of every American is the only metric he uses in decision making about the #coronavirus. (9/10)
And finally he should express empathy & concern for those who've lost loved ones to this dreaded disease, and to those who are currently suffering its myriad outcomes.
We need a renewed sense that our government cares about our lives and losses during this difficult time. (/END)
We need a renewed sense that our government cares about our lives and losses during this difficult time. (/END)
