Here're gems from #JenPsaki statement on #JoeManchin
"Sen. Manchin claims that this change of position is related to inflation, but the think tank he cites—the Penn Wharton Budg Instit—issued a report <48 hrs ago that the Build Back Better Act will have virtually no..."
MORE
2/ "...impact on inflation in the short term, & in the long run...will ease inflationary pressures."
"#Manchin cited deficit concerns in his statement. But the plan is fully paid for...Manchin knows that: #POTUS has told him that repeatedly, including this wk, face to face."
MORE
3/ "On Tues, Sen #Manchin came to @WhiteHouse & submitted—to #POTUS , in person, directly—a written outline for a #BuildBackBetterAct that was the same size & scope as the President’s, & covered many of the same priorities. Manchin promised to continue conversations..."
MORE
4/ "..in the days ahead, & to work with us to reach that common ground. If his comments on FOX indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden & inexplicable reversal in his position, & a breach of his commitments to @POTUS & the Senator’s colleagues in the House..."
MORE
5/ "...and Senate."
"In the meantime, #SenManchin will have to explain to those families paying $1,000 a month for #insulin why they need to keep paying that, instead of $35. He will have to explain to the nearly 2 million women who wld get the affordable day care they..."
MORE
6/ "...need to return to work why he opposes a plan to get them the help. Maybe #Manchin can explain to the millions of children who have been lifted out of poverty, in part due to the Child Tax Credit, why he wants to end a prog that is helping achieve this milestone—we cannot."
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
2/ In his Winter Solstice speech @POTUS will tackle hospital #Omicron crises by:
•Mobilizing 1,000 troops to deploy to #COVID19 -burdened hospitals
•Deploying Federal medical personnel available to states immediately
•Activating FEMA response teams to help States
MORE
3/ #Biden#Solstice2021 speech cont.
•Deploying 100s of ambulances & Emergency Medical Teams to transport patients
•Pre-Positioning supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile & deploying ventilators to States.
He'll also be radically ramping up #COVID19 testing.
MORE
There is so much to talk about today. As #Omicron spreads across #NYC like a summer wildfire in California, it seems clear #vaccination offers little protection against infection, but plenty against severe disease. Thanks to the great folks @HKUniversity we know --
MORE
2/ (cont) that #Omicron infects & reproduces in cells of the bronchus and upper airways. The individual may feel fine, but have billions of viruses that constantly expel as they breathe & talk -- infecting others. If they are #vaccinated fully, individuals mount immune --
MORE
3/-- responses that block #Omicron from penetrating alveoli deep in the lungs, causing pneumonia. They remain ambulatory, vaguely "off" but able to see friends, go to the store, dine out -- spreading virus all of the while. So the #vaccines are a clinical triumph, but --
MORE
I tweeted that we are in an #Omicron surge in NYC, but then studied today's data here 👇🏽gothamist.com/news/coronavir…
Mea culpa for sloppy reference to Omicron.
Thread follows based on these numbers
2/First of all, averaging 27,000 new #COVID19 cases/day is not sustainable -- even if fewer than 2% of them require a clinical visit or hospitalization. It's the Holidays, staffing is low, and staff is burned out. If caseloads double by Christmas, hospitals will be full.
MORE
3/ The difference in #COVID19 incidence-by-immunization-rate now in NYC is striking. Vaccination may not offer 100% protection against infection, but it's clearly of enormous benefit.
MORE
Q&A has started. Fauci says using this time to run antibody tests and see how vaccinated and unvaxxed respond to #Omicron . Also working to improve surveillance internationally to get "a much better picture of what the challenge is before us"
Q about home testing results of which do not get to officials -- surveillance?
Walensky -- we're doing 1.5 M PCR tests/week -- very helpful for surveillance. And sequencing about 1/7th of them.
Fauci -- VAX is against original Wuhan strain. Now variants. But if high enough Ab --
- - levels, you're still in the range of protection against severe disease...
Fauci speaks of "diminution of protection" w/ #Omicron versus "elimination of"
Q - is the variant here?
Walensky --robust US surveillance syst., espec for intl travelers.
The @WhiteHouse#Omicron briefing: Zeints is opening it, saying "we have more tools than ever before. We are prepared."
Fauci now
Fauci on #OmicronVariant -- "large number of mutations..and some are predicted to impact transmission and antibody binding"
Confirmed cases 226 in 20 countries
Fauci: The mutations -- "very unusual constellation of changes"
>30 in spike protein, 10 in receptor binding site
"This is not #Delta -- it's something different"