COVID Update: My remarks this morning in New York at mayoral press conference on vaccine mandates. 1/
“The proof is in Halloween.

If you walked around city yesterday you saw families in costume, restaurants filled, stores open, a parade like you only find in NY, adults in elaborate costumes (at least I think they were costumes). 2/
What I saw was New York City. A city able to return to normal, to life, to joy— secure in their belief that they were protected from the virus because whenever they entered somewhere people were vaccinated. The word that kept coming to mind was: freedom. 3/
I am suspicious of the idea that asking people to be vaccinated and show our vaccination status is an infringement on our freedom. We’ve seen what that freedom looks like. It looks like fear. It looks like closed stores. 4/
It sounds like sirens wailing. And ambulances rushing to our hospitals. It looks like our first responders at risk every time they need to perform CPR or enter an apartment. Is that freedom? 5/
The smartest countries around the globe and the smartest big cities are recognizing that the key to their vibrancy is simple: giving people the freedom to feel safe in their environment. Asking a little of something for the benefit of everyone. 6/
Why do we need requirements?

This example may help. I talked to a city worker. He told me he only got vaccinated because his employer required it. When asked why he hadn’t he said ‘I don’t like shots. Why would anyone got a shot unless they had to?’ 7/
It is tempting to focus on hold outs. In our country, it’s part of who we are as a great nation that we can have active disagreement. But focusing solely on the hold outs misses out on the one over arching important point: that no one of us is more important than all of us. 8/
That asking for small contributions from everyone for the benefit of everyone is what once has made us a great nation.” /end

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More from @ASlavitt

29 Oct
If you care about health care in America, the Build Back Better program that Congress will vote on, may be as impactful as the ACA or more.

Here’s why.
First, millions more Americans who are uninsured will finally have insurance. Medicaid would finally be expanded to every state in the nation.

4 million ppl in states like Georgia, Florida, Texas & North Carolina will see this highly popular program expand. 2/
The health outcomes— in reducing maternal & child mortality, reducing cancer & cardiac disparities, and lifting people out of poverty— is overwhelming from Medicaid expansion. 3/
Read 15 tweets
26 Oct
COVID Update: I want to talk about Tony Fauci and the critics of Tony Fauci. 1/
A few years back, on the heels of the SARS & MERS viruses, Tony Fauci, who is a scientist, made significant investments in the mRNA vaccine platform so we could be ready for the next pandemic.

Best I can tell, his critics, not scientists, did not. 2/
On January 10, 2020, Tony Fauci & his team began developing a vaccine, over the next 2 months isolating the protein, stabilizing the mRNA,
& running a clinical trial.

At that time, and for the next 2 months, Donald Trump denied the pandemic existed. 3/
Read 11 tweets
24 Oct
COVID Update: We turn our focus now to 28 million kids 5-11.

Presuming final approval next week, this vaccine rollout will have a number of differences & In hoping we don’t run from the nuances. 1/
There will be 28 million kids newly eligible for vaccination.

There is little doubt that they are at risk from COVID & Delta. 6 million kids have had COVID, over 1 million in the last 6 weeks. 2/
While few kids end up of dying of COVID, cases aren’t all mild, nor do they all end when the acute illness ends. MIS-C is quite problematic.

And cases can be severe in kids. This summer thousands of kids per week were being hospitalized. 3/
Read 19 tweets
22 Oct
COVID Update: Vital. We now have enough vaccines to vaccinate every adult in the globe by the end of the year.

Everything we have should go towards getting those into arms ASAP— particularly with some troubling hints of new mutations. 1/
There are about 5 billion adults on the planet.

3 billion are currently vaccinated. 3.77 billion have had a single shot.

In the last 30 days, we produced 1.3 billion vaccines. We are not far. 2/
Most countries have high vaccination levels.
The first set of countries had the money & the foresight to bet on the right vaccines
The second set of countries had the money
The remaining countries get what’s left when it’s available. 3/
Read 22 tweets
18 Oct
COVID Update: The loss of Colin Powell to complications from COVID provides an overpowering lesson: get vaccinated. 3 million people with compromised immune systems depend on you. 1/
Most importantly, my condolences to Alma and General Powell’s family. Even the loss of such a public person is a deeply personal one.

We don’t just have 700,000 losses. We have a deeply personal death 700,000 times.

Less famously, this is still happening 2000 times a day. 2/
Amidst our overall reaction to this national loss is surprise from some that a fully vaccinated person could die from COVID.

Vaccinated people can die of COVID if their immune system isn’t strong enough to benefit fully from a vaccine. This is why we all need to protect them.3/
Read 11 tweets
18 Oct
COVID Update: There’s lots of evidence that the country has made up its mind about vaccine requirements.

Now time to get our leaders to follow. 1/
OK so… policy is a series of trade offs.

For example, environmental regulations vs. unfettered economic growth. That’s a trade off.

In the case of vaccine requirements to enter places where lots of people can get infected, there’s also a trade off. 2/
Benefits of requiring vaccinations at school, work, travel: Saving lives & ending the pandemic earlier

vs

Harm of requiring vaccinations: violating the incorrect perception of a few that this violates the constitution & is equivalent to martial law

As I say, trade offs 3/
Read 16 tweets

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