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Trump administration's lack of a unified coronavirus strategy will cost lives, say a dozen experts
NBC "News" / Comcast ^ | April 3, 2020 | By Ken Dilanian and Dan De Luce

Posted on 04/03/2020 6:37:29 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration's decision to let states chart their own responses to the coronavirus crisis rather than impose a national strategy will cost thousands of lives and is likely to result in an open-ended outbreak rolling across the country, a dozen public health experts told NBC News.

The only way to win what President Donald Trump has called a war against an "invisible enemy" is to establish a unified federal command, the experts insist - something Trump has yet to do. So far, the federal government hasn't leveraged all its authority and influence to dramatically expand testing and tracing measures, ensure a sufficient supply of crucial medical equipment or require residents of all 50 states to stay at home.

Each day that passes without such a national strategy, the experts say, will raise the ultimate U.S. death toll from COVID-19, the disease associated with the virus. Right now, there aren't enough tests and gear as states compete with one another to buy them on the open market. And there is very little ability to trace who has the virus and where it is spreading.

"This is a problem that we should be dealing with over the entire nation," said William Haseltine, a biologist famed for his work on HIV and AIDS. "This is a national problem - it needs a national response."

"The president says we are at war with the coronavirus," wrote Dr. Harvey Fineberg, president of the Institute of Medicine at Harvard University's School of Public Health. "It's a war we should fight to win."

As of now, that isn't happening, said Laurie Garrett, a public health expert and author of "The Coming Plague" and other books that warned of the growing danger posed by pandemics.

(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2020election; anotherhitpiece; bias; cnbc; coronavirus; dnctalkingpoint; dnctalkingpoints; election2020; gettrump; harvard; harveyfineberg; journalism; lauriegarrett; media; mediawingofthednc; msnbc; nbc; nobrainscollectively; partisanmediashills; pessimism; presstitutes; smearcampaign; smearmachine; williamhaseltine
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To: SoCal Pubbie

He was referring to AIDS.


41 posted on 04/03/2020 6:58:47 AM PDT by SoCal Pubbie
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To: SMARTY
Here is the response plan: PanCAP Adapted U . S. Government COVID - 19 Response Plan March 13, 2020

The NYT reported on the plan in March.

42 posted on 04/03/2020 6:59:19 AM PDT by IndispensableDestiny
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
By "experts" is meant "Democrats".

Partisan Media Shills update.


43 posted on 04/03/2020 7:01:54 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: eyeamok

I would be most comfortable with public dismembering


44 posted on 04/03/2020 7:02:57 AM PDT by exinnj
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To: CIB-173RDABN

Our state level representative, Valoree Swanson, is keeping us informed about what is going on at the state level. She even started an online discussion of whether we should 1) shut down more, 2) wait until May 1 and see how things are, or 3) open up now. The discussions and reasoning are great. There are a few scared people who pick 1 or 2, but 95% say 3, even the ones who are old and have compromised health. Here in Texas, we value independence and informed personal choices. The governor is doing a great job overruling the AOC-clone County Judge we have here in Harris County.


45 posted on 04/03/2020 7:03:28 AM PDT by Savage Rider
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To: ChildOfThe60s

You’re right-I mean-at this point, if it’s an ‘expert’s’ statement, that means we ought to challenge it immediately and totally.

They have failed all along the line with this crisis, including but not limited to:
• Took a political stance on basic problems associated unlimited and unconditional immigration to the US
• Conform totally to media statements
• Overlooked long-standing and totally verified protocols for avoiding contagion
• Delayed or played PC with demonstrated facts, FROM THE BEGINNING
• Will not tolerate debate and actually seem to EXPECT blanket, constant agreement from everyone and even blind acceptance from within their respective disciplines

How on earth can anyone call these people ‘experts’ if they overlook or ignore stuff I learned in HS ‘Health 101’ or ‘General Biology’?


46 posted on 04/03/2020 7:04:02 AM PDT by SMARTY ("Nobility is defined by the demands it makes on us - by obligations, not by rights".)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Comcast is America’s most dangerous enemy and must be destroyed. Those who work there must be eliminated or at the very least, exiled


47 posted on 04/03/2020 7:05:12 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12) Progressives are existential American enemies)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

48 posted on 04/03/2020 7:10:25 AM PDT by KevinB ("Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge." - Charles Darwin)
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To: be-baw

More than one-quarter in one city.


49 posted on 04/03/2020 7:10:42 AM PDT by nhwingut (Tagline for lease...)
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To: be-baw
“It has been for more than 6000 in the US so far.”

Leading Causes of Death in the U.S. 2019
•Heart disease: 647,457.
•Cancer: 599,108.
•Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936.
•Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201.
•Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383.
•Alzheimer's disease: 121,404.
•Diabetes: 83,564.
•Influenza and pneumonia: 55,672.

So yes, 6000 in three months is bad. Yes I am concerned about this virus. I am in a job that requires me to go to work and have contact with the public. I am an at risk person. I don't really like that, and I do not want to get it. But someone needs to do what I do.

What happened to being able to debate in this country. You are either on the “this is the apocalypse” or “it's the sniffles” team. The media hypes it up to terrorize everyone.

I think it is bad, so not a flubro, but I am not on the end of the world team either. I am somewhere in the middle. I go to work and the store. I still get to play golf here. But I take precautions and practice social distancing.

But look at the causes of death above. We have other things to be concerned about that you are far more likely to die from. Just hoping for some honest, rational debate. Not screaming at each other based on emotion.

Just my opinion.

50 posted on 04/03/2020 7:11:01 AM PDT by MPJackal ("From my cold dead hands.")
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To: Savage Rider

In the end I believe it should be up to the people to decide how they are going to handle this crisis.

The option to remain isolated is still there but if this looks like it will go on for months then some will want (and some will need) to go back to work.

On one level I understand the need to shut things down for awhile. It is like a fire break. But a like a lot of things in life, we need to weight the risk versus the benefit.

A long shut down could be worse then the illness.


51 posted on 04/03/2020 7:11:57 AM PDT by CIB-173RDABN (I am not an expert in anything, and my opinion is just that, an opinion. I may be wrong.)
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To: Obadiah

Soon to be followed by “a letter signed by 975 doctors.”


52 posted on 04/03/2020 7:13:25 AM PDT by j.havenfarm ( Beginning my 20th year on FR! 2,500+ replies and still not shutting up!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Experts at the DNC


53 posted on 04/03/2020 7:14:34 AM PDT by AppyPappy (How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?)
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To: Sacajaweau

The two main MS Gulf Coast counties (Jackson and Harrison), have about 35K folks and so far there’s been about 110 reported cases - and we have a ton of casinos which probably imported the “seed” cases before they were closed down....about long enough ago that such cases would show up among the current crop.


54 posted on 04/03/2020 7:15:36 AM PDT by trebb (Don't howl about illegal leeches, or Trump in general, while not donating to FR - it's hypocritical.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

POTUS has elected to follow the original concept of our founders - federalism. He wants each state to take responsibility for the crisis and have the central government provide for needs beyond their capabilities. As every state and region is different, this makes good sense as the states know more about their land and people than does Washington.

The Democrats, the socialists, wants the federal government to be in complete charge of every phase and for the states be to subservient to the federal government.

Here we see the stark difference between what conservative Republicans offer the country and the Democrats.


55 posted on 04/03/2020 7:20:33 AM PDT by elpadre (AfganistaMr Obama said theoal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-hereQaeda" and its allies.)
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To: Sacajaweau

From anecdotal evidence I believe it ran through our community of 20K in late Feb and early March and people have already recovered.

We have no reported cases.


56 posted on 04/03/2020 7:23:20 AM PDT by tiki
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Now they are all clamoring for the tyranny they have been accusing him of for 3 years?


57 posted on 04/03/2020 7:24:14 AM PDT by silverleaf (Remember kids: You can vote your way into communism, but you have to shoot your way out!)
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To: j.havenfarm

Of course. The white coats standing behind Obama for his obamacare propaganda. Or, the 327 “scientists” who sign this or that document attesting to their religious belief in whatever leftist issue de jour.


58 posted on 04/03/2020 7:26:26 AM PDT by Obadiah (Kill the deep state or lose the Republic.)
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To: Sacajaweau
This virus has very local effects. Even statewide measures are horribly ineffective and nonsensical. In the Eastern part of King County Washington where we live, we have half a million Chinese immigrants, many visit home frequently. So it was not surprising that we were the first in the nation to have deaths.

Researchers at the University of Washington investigating the first cases here concluded that the coronavirus had been spreading around the community for weeks with most not experiencing symptoms and others believing they had the flu. The first deaths occurred when it finally hit a skilled care nursing home facility with very vulnerable patients.

Initially the virus put a strain on local hospitals and scary projections caused panic buying of toilet paper, rice, flour, sugar, paper towels and other items. But cases and deaths in our part of the county began to subside almost two weeks ago just a day or two after the governor's stay at home order, before it could have had any effect. Cases in deaths in other parts of the state have continued to increase since the order.

Just when the data started showing that our hospitals were getting back to normal and deaths were declining. The department of health had a “software glitch” and stopped reporting most of the numbers. Strangely enough my best friend who is one of the head FEMA persons in the area had no difficulty accessing this information.

The data contradicts the governor's claims that his actions stopped the virus in our part of the state. It simply has come close to running its course here. And in rural parts of the state where there are still very few cases it still doesn't make a lot of sense to close down most businesses and tell people that they need to stay home. So even on a statewide level a “unified response” is extremely wasteful.

59 posted on 04/03/2020 7:27:20 AM PDT by fireman15
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To: be-baw
It has been for more than 6000 in the US so far.

Those are unfortunate deaths, and I don't mean to diminish them, but the great majority that get this virus experience mild symptoms that don't require medical care. Second, there are many other things that cause more deaths, and we don't take such drastic measures to shut down the entire economy over them; e.g., seasonal influenza, heart disease, drunk driving, diabetes, etc.

60 posted on 04/03/2020 7:27:40 AM PDT by Lou L (Health "insurance" is NOT the same as health "care")
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