Thread by @DonnaYoungDC

.@WHCOVIDResponse briefing coming up at 10:30amET with someone different today: #HHS @SecBecerra, who's joining @CDCDirector Walensky, #NIH Fauci, Jeff Zients to discuss a roadmap to enable US to move forward safely & sustain/build on progress #COVID19😷

.@WHCOVIDResponse #COVID19 briefing seems to be running a bit late to get started.



#COVID19vaccines #MaskUp #HHS #NIH #CDC
😷💉😷

#HHS @SecBecerra, @CDCDirector Walensky, #NIH Fauci & Jeff Zients together in same room today at #COVID19 briefing! That's a change, too!

#MaskUp #COVID19vaccines 😷💉😷

Zients notes @POTUS @JoeBiden's National #COVID19 Preparedness Plan focuses on 4 key goals:
Protect against/treat COVID-19
Prepare for new variants
Prevent economic and educational shutdowns
Continue to lead the effort to vaccinate the world and save lives

#MaskUp 😷💉😷

There it is: "Importantly, executing the President's plan requires additional congressional support and funding," Zients says.

So, going to need Congress on this!

#COVID19 #MaskUp 😷💉😷

Zients: The President's plan ensures that as soon as a vaccine is authorized, we'll be ready with plenty of vaccines & prepared to help parents vaccinate their youngest kids at 1000s of trusted locations across the country.

[still no vax for tiny kids]
#COVID19 #MaskUp

Zients: The President's plan launches a new Test to Treat initiative to provide individuals access to testing and treatment for free -- all in one stop.

#COVID19 #MaskUp #Paxlovid 😷💉😷

Zients notes that last night, @POTUS @JoeBiden said that starting next week, Americans can place SECOND orders for FREE #COVID19 tests at COVIDtests.gov.

Free N95 masks also available at pharmacies, grocery stores, community health centers.

#HHS @SecBecerra: The President's National #COVID19 preparedness plan makes our logistics and operational hub at HHS permanent.

#COVID19 #MaskUp 😷💉😷

#HHS @SecBecerra: It's the lost job & piling bills. It's the empty chair at the dinner table, open seat in the bleachers, quiet homes & the crowded hospitals.

#COVID19 #MaskUp 😷💉😷

#HHS @SecBecerra: #Equity will remain at the center of our work.

#COVID19 #MaskUp 😷💉😷

#HHS @SecBecerra says will make sure "people can access these tools for free, wherever you are/even if you don't have health insurance. And we will continue to address the specific needs of seniors, people's people living w/ disabilities & immunocompromised."
We see you.
#COVID19

Zients says there's a new #COVID19 "variant playbook" to rapidly assess variants, which was put to the test w/ tabletop readiness exercises w/ #HHS, #NIH, #CDC, #FDA, #FEMA.
Will develop plans/processes to produce authorize & deliver new vaccines/treatments in 100 days, if needed

.@CDCDirector Walensky gives overview of National Wastewater Surveillance System& says now have 647 testing sites publicly reporting on #COVID19 data tracker and are onboarding new sites each week. cdc.gov/healthywater/s…

.@CDCDirector Walensky: We are expanding our capacity in genomic surveillance so that we can readily detect variants of concern or interest.

#COVID19 #MaskUp #CDC 😷💉😷

#NIH Fauci: Decades of US investment in fundamental biomedical research provided the foundation for the rapid design & development of #COVID19vaccines.

#COVID19 #MaskUP 💉😷💉

#NIH Fauci: if new variants emerge, we now have faster processes to assess the impact of the virus on our vaccines & this plan ensures that we are ready to deploy personnel & resources to quickly update the vaccines.

#COVID19vaccines #COVID19 #MaskUp 💉😷💉

"This too, is a victory for #science," #NIH Fauci says of the growing number of therapeutic options, like monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs.

#COVID19 #MaskUp 💊 💉😷💊💉😷

#NIH Fauci: The plan announced today calls for continued investment in treatment research for #COVID19.

[So, MORE money Congress!!!]

#MaskUp 😷💉💊

#NIH Fauci: We know that we will have to contend with #COVID19 at some level for some time to come. Thus, we will continue to invest in research to develop better treatments & next-generation vaccines - one that could provide even broader & longer lasting protection.

😷💉💊

Zients: Execution of President's plan requires additional funding.

#HHS has laid out some immediate funding needs for Congress. We will need additional funding for medium/longer term priorities & we'll be working with Congress in the weeks ahead. 💰💲🤑

#COVID19 #MaskUp 😷💉💊

Zients: No change yet in domestic air travel requirements.
Requirements for masking on public transportation still in place. Will be assessing between now & March 18.

#COVID19 #MaskUp

.@CDCDirector Walensky: We always prefer to have people who might be infectious with an infectious disease home and not transmitting to others & certainly during your most infectious period of time.

#COVID19 #MaskUp 😷😷😷

.@CDCDirector Walensky: You certainly want 2-layered mask - something snuggly over your nose/mouth - generally with a wire bridge. If you can tolerate a better fitting mask/higher quality mask for a longer period of time, those are always preferred, like N95s.

#MaskUp #CDC😷😷😷

Zients says officials have briefed members of Congress on the near term funding that is needed. Additional funding will be needed.
As we finalize these numbers, we'll communicate that with Congress & look forward to working closely with Congress going forward. [So, no details $]

Q: Shifting primary focus of #COVID19 to #HHS from WH?
Zients: @SecBecerra essential partner/leading may COVID efforts.

Business as usual.

Becerra: HHS is principal partner. Continue to see much execution coming from HHS. All a team effort. About getting job done.

.@CDCDirector Walensky: Now these cases are in in February/March of 2022 is just very different than where we were in June of 2021 & that is because of all of the tools that we have now.

Will be revisiting masking on public travel.

More to come.

#COVID19 #MaskUp 😷😷😷

#NIH Fauci: Pan-Coronavirus vaccine, if ever, will take years.

What we're focusing on first is a pan-#SARSCoV2 vaccine - a vaccine that would be highly effective against ancestral strain, Alpha, Beta, Delta, #Omicron or any future SARSCoV2 we may experience.

But making progress

.@CDCDirector Walensky: We are confident in our guidance from last Friday - that schools can now follow the #COVID19 Community Levels in terms of masking recommendations.

cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…

cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…

[Still, it puts burden on most vulnerable]
#MaskUp 😷

#NIH Fauci: Emergency means different things to different people.

#COVID19 #MaskUp 😷💉😷

Zients ended today's @WHCOVIDResponse briefing with "It's wonderful to be getting back to our more normal routine and to be doing these briefings with my colleagues in person."

The 4 were sitting together - slightly distanced - but maskless today.

#COVID19 #MaskUp 😷💉😷

Throughout today's @WHCOVIDResponse briefing, Zients & #NIH Fauci both repeatedly said that for @POTUS @JoeBiden's National #COVID19 Preparedness Plan to be successful, it will take MORE💲💰🤑from Congress.

😷💉💊

Zients noted vast majority of federal workers in coming week will once again work IN PERSON. OSHA will update work place guidance to better equip employees w/ tools to ensure safer workplaces & Biden admin work w/ Congress to provide paid sick leave to U.S. workers for #COVID19.

.@POTUS @JoeBiden's National #COVID19 Preparedness Plan whitehouse.gov/covidplan/

Will need MORE MONEY from Congress. Will Biden get it? 🤑💰💲

#MaskUp #COVID19vaccines #PaidSickLeave #NIH #FDA #CDC #HHS 😷💉💊

Here's the PDF version of @POTUS @JoeBiden's National #COVID19 Preparedness Plan

It notes a number of times its success relies on Congress allotting more 💰🤑💲
whitehouse.gov/wp-content/upl…

#MaskUP #COVID19vaccines #PaidSickLeave #NIH #FDA #CDC #HHS 😷💉💊😷💉💊

At today's @WHCOVIDResponse briefing, #HHS @SecBecerra said H-CORE is being made permanent under @POTUS @JoeBiden's National #COVID19 Preparedness Plan.

.@HHS_ASPR O'Connell talked about H-CORE at Jan. 11 @HELPCmteDems hearing: help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/…

https://twitter.com/DonnaYoungDC/status/1499049618847457290

😷