Trump's War Against the Coronavirus Is Working

The National Interest ^ | February 8, 2020 | Brayden Helwig

[familyop]

A 35-year-old Washington, D.C., man visited an urgent care clinic on Jan. 19, a few days after returning from Wuhan, China.

After undergoing testing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined that he had contracted the 2019-nCoV coronavirus—the first such case in the United States.

Since surfacing in Wuhan in December, the 2019-nCoV coronavirus has spread to nearly 30 countries, killing 565 and infecting more than 28,000 worldwide. As of this writing, 12 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. Note that these numbers are changing almost every hour.

As cases began to emerge within American borders, the Trump administration took quick and decisive action.

By creating a coronavirus task force, issuing stringent travel restrictions, and offering to aid the Chinese in combating the outbreak, the White House has made every effort to protect the American people and stop the virus from spreading.

First, on Jan. 29, the White House announced the formation of the task force, designed to facilitate interagency coordination while keeping President Donald Trump informed on the epidemic.

The task force, coordinated through the National Security Council, includes a variety of public health officials, regional experts, and national security specialists. Trump tapped Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to lead the group.

As The Heritage Foundation’s Peter Brookes has pointed out, it’s somewhat odd that the task force did not initially include officials from the Department of Defense. Not only does the Pentagon have immense logistical resources at its disposal, it also has been requested to provide housing for individuals under quarantine. Perhaps by now, the Defense Department is represented on the task force.

Overall, however, the creation of the task force should be considered a success. Continued collaboration between government agencies will be essential for containing the spread of the virus.

Then, on Jan. 31, Trump signed a proclamation restricting travel from China to the United States.

The document first outlined two types of quarantines for U.S. citizens returning from China, depending on which regions they had traveled to.

Americans who traveled to Hubei province—the epicenter of the 2019-nCoV outbreak—within the past two weeks must undergo up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine, conducted at various locations and military bases.

Meanwhile, Americans returning from other regions of China will face up to 14 days of monitored self-quarantine in their own homes.

Second, Americans who enter the country after traveling to China are being routed through certain airports, where Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experts can conduct advanced health screenings.

Originally, only seven airports were designated as entry points. Since Trump’s proclamation was issued, four more have been added.

Third, foreign nationals who visited China within the past two weeks will be barred from entering the United States.

While this provision contains a number of exceptions—family members of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals working on flight crews, for instance, are exempted—some commentators have criticized it as too harsh a response.

Overall, however, these restrictions actually demonstrate a willingness to protect the American people—by whatever means necessary.

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, summed up the rationale behind such a drastic response.

“We would rather be remembered for overreacting than underreacting,” she said.

Finally, the executive branch has helped with the outbreak in China itself.

During his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Trump announced that the U.S. is “coordinating with the Chinese government and working closely together” to combat the spread.

The day before, on Monday, Health and Human Services announced that American experts will join a World Health Organization team tasked with curbing the outbreak in China. The U.S. has also delivered medical supplies and humanitarian goods to authorities in Wuhan.

On the whole, the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus outbreak has been decisive and comprehensive, and—thus far, at least—seems to be quite effective.

The U.S. response has generated backlash from the World Health Organization and the Chinese government, which have framed the travel restrictions as too extreme. But protecting the American people must be any U.S. president’s first priority.

Ultimately, the administration deserves praise for formulating a robust response to the outbreak.

Brayden Helwig is a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation.

Thomas W. Spoehr, a retired Army lieutenant general, is director of the Center for National Defense at The Heritage Foundation.

This article first appeared at The Daily Signal on February 6, 2020.

[cornfedcowboy]

Pretty early on to declare we are waging a successful war on a possible pandemic. Let wait three or four months and then analyze.

[Jamestown1630]

Every journey begins with the first step. Trump could have done nothing, or nothing effective, until he HAD to. I think he has taken very sensible and responsible first steps, and I was very encouraged when I saw the initial press conference by the task force.

[RummyChick]

I think you are too tough to catch it.

[EinNYC]

A cruise ship with some possibly infected folks docked about 20 minutes from my house in Bayonne

That was no cruise ship. That was a humpback whale in the NY Bight. LOL!

[kaila]

The first case was in WA state, not DC.

[Vince Ferrer]

I thought President Trump’s response so far has been very good. First, just the formation of the task force and having a press conference for them is effective. It shows the public that the administration is taking it seriously and is working on the disease. If that did not happen, the press would be all over the place saying the president isn’t doing anything, its chaos, etc.
Second, I think the actions so far have been measured and are helping.

He did the same thing when there were hurricanes coming toward Florida and Puerto Rico. He got the cabinet together, planned ahead, has the press there to show the administration was working on it.

Very professional.

[null and void]

"family members of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals working on flight crews, for instance, are exempted"

Is this a bad time to mention that a foreign national flight attendant, Gaëtan Dugas, enthusiastically spread AIDS in America?

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

If a quarantine saves just one child's life, it's worth it.

[PGalt]

HOORAY Chief

[Redcitizen]

If you die first, we’re splitting up your gear. :)

[dp0622]

lol

[redlegplanner]

Next step is a Presidential address advising people to get ready for a 3-4 week long “snow day”. Lay in dry goods, be prepared to shelter in place IOT reduce the demand on medical services. Dems will scream fear mongering, but it will be looked back on as wise counsel.

Right now this pandemic is like a hurricane hitting the Bahamas and we all live in Florida

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I believe you are right. It just came across wrong.

[Aut Pax Aut Bellum]

My wife and daughter are trapped there, trying to get them out. However, having been born in China, they are believing the Chinese bs on the news. So, they think that if they just wait a little, they will be okay. It hasn’t peaked yet, and won’t until late March.

[luvie]

That first case was from Washington state, Not Washington DC, but getting it contained quickly within our borders is a must and it sounds like the president is being proactive with the people chosen to do the job.

[GOPJ]

By creating a coronavirus task force, issuing stringent travel restrictions, and offering to aid the Chinese in combating the outbreak, the White House has made every effort to protect the American people and stop the virus from spreading.

If Hillary had been President she would have formed focus groups to find what victims families wanted to hear so she could say magic words to the rubes and harvest votes. The corrupt press would have praised her for being so sensitive.

[Vince Ferrer]

Lay in dry goods, be prepared to shelter in place IOT reduce the demand on medical services.

I am confident in our medical system. Both our food supply and medical system are more hygienic than China, which is going to help a lot. If we can keep this to a small number of cases, I don't think we will see as many deaths as in China. We can give them excellent care. However, if we don't contain it, and overload our medical system, then the death rates will be about the same as China's.

I am not an extreme prepper, but I have been building up my pantry starting last fall, but more so in the last few weeks. I can ride out the virus at home, and can even work from home. People don't need to go full out zombie prepping. The electricity will stay on, we can cook in our kitchens, etc.

If anyone is stocking up preparing for this, don't forget to not only get food, but to get books or a project around the house you can do while this blows over. If we are trapped in our homes for a while, we might as well do something productive to pass the time.

[familyop]

I’m sincerely sorry about the situation with your family. If they are well and getting enough water and food, staying in place and away from hospitals and transportation facilities for now might be an option (that is, staying away from other people).

There were indications yesterday, that the epidemic might be topping out in China in general. Symptoms were not as severe on average for patients in a hospital in Beijing (re. distance from Wuhan). The virus might be mutating towards weakness, as it travels back and forth. I’ll look at the numbers again from news feeds tonight to see if the increases are continuing to slow down.

I’ve been studying something related. Surprising for me, the coronavirus survives best at 20 degrees C (42, F) at about 50 percent humidity. As the temperature and humidity goes *up,* the virus dies faster—especially humidity (surprise)! At 80% humidity, the virus begins to die pretty fast (within a day to three days).

That’s very important, because it appears to infect more people by way of contaminated surfaces (including hands, which touch faces). Cleaning surfaces is very important, but be very careful with flammable alcohols. Soaps work, too, if surfaces are cleaned often enough. Vinegar might work, but I need to find more info about that. *Bleach doesn’t work well at all.*

Sorry for rambling. I really hope they make it through just fine.

Avoid touching the face. Wash hands first, and wash hands after touching anything away from home. Bathe, if possible, upon arrival back home.

I’m guessing that there is running water there, but... *Only if necessary (that is, no shower or bathtub available)*,...

Sponge bathing (with a washcloth and regular bar soap) works if shower or tub bathing is not available. If sponge bathing, start at the top of the head, both washing and rinsing, then work your way down the body from there. Be sure to rinse the ears very gently three times after getting soap in ears. After washing and rinsing the head with the washcloth, work your way down the body from there. If possible, it is best to have one small bucket (or other container maybe between approximately four and 6 liters at best) for the head and another for the body. I did this for six years while living in close quarters with others in an extremely cold and otherwise isolated area and avoided any serious infections.

I was trained to be a soldier in field conditions in the past, so the sponge bathing memories tend to stay in mind.

[familyop]

Another thing to bear in mind on the numbers from the Chinese government. Our own U.S. health offices gather statistics similarly by only reporting confirmed, tested cases. A very small portion of cases of influenza, for example, are tested. Granted, there are vast differences, but maybe the gaps between east and west will close further.

The Chinese medical establishment is overwhelmed and trying to focus more on patients for now. I can’t imagine how such thoroughly exhausted doctors or nurses could bring themselves to keep records for statistics.

Another thing, yet,... The Chinese government appears to be opening up quite a bit in its publications as of about two days ago. Not nearly as open and chatty as ours, but much more than before. I’ve been watching those publications from day to day.

[familyop]

Our hospitals are nearly overwhelmed at times now with the flu strains going around. Hopefully, the Trump Administration and the states will be successful enough with containment to hold the geographical progress of the virus back long enough for it to mutates towards weakness. Warmer, more humid weather ahead is very important.

Strangely, coronaviruses tend to die much quicker in more humid and warmer conditions (especially more humid). Think about surfaces. The eastern half of our country is far more densely populated and busy.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3509683/

https://news.yahoo.com/know-wuhan-coronavirus-221957061.html

[familyop]

True about differences between Hillary’s people and President Trump’s people. Well said.