Leaked Pentagon memo warns coronavirus pandemic could last until summer 2021: report

The Hill ^ | 5/19/2020 | ellen mitchell

[bitt]

A leaked Pentagon memo on Tuesday revealed that top Defense Department officials have been planning for the possibility that the military could be dealing with a “globally-persistent” coronavirus pandemic well into 2021.

The memo, obtained by Task and Purpose, also warns of the “real possibility” that a vaccine for COVID-19 won’t be available until “at least the summer of 2021.”

“We have a long path ahead, with the real possibility of a resurgence of COVID-19. Therefore, we must now re-focus our attention on resuming critical missions, increasing levels of activity, and making necessary preparations should a significant resurgence of COVID-19 occur later this year,” it reads.

When reached by The Hill, a Pentagon official said they could not find a version of the memo as reported in the Task & Purpose article and could not confirm it specifically.

They did confirm that the department “continues to develop plans that address operating in the COVID-19 environment,” and some versions of such plans had similar language as the reported memo, but none have been approved.

“Senior DoD officials have discussed the development of a plan to reduce Health Protection Conditions around the world and continue the 2020 summer move cycle safely,” they said. “The plans have not been approved by senior DoD leaders yet, and we’re not going to discuss what might be in the final version of those plans.”

President Trump on Friday unveiled a federal task force in charge of what he hopes will produce a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year, a presentation that Defense Secretary Mark Esper spoke at.

“We will deliver, by the end of this year a vaccine, at scale, to treat the American people and our partners abroad,” Esper said at the White House.

[Steve_Seattle]

"I wonder if things would be happening the way they have happened, if this were not an election year?"

I wonder if this would have happened AT ALL if Trump weren't running for president. (1) Trump is the most serious threat to China's goal of world dominance; (2) Trump is running for re-election; (3) the Chinese know the media hate Trump and will reflexively take China's side in any controversy; (4) a devastating pandemic emerges from China just as our presidential election campaign is ramping-up.

Of course, I have no proof, but even if there was proof, the media would try to ignore it. Only a fool would not at least wonder about the timing of all this.