Government Response to Coronavirus 2: It's Not A Hoax

[SassyPants]

14 hours ago, thoughtful said:

Thanks, asshole.

For a lot of Americans, it would have been a day of prayer anyway. And, as someone who would really like to see this country stand by its supposed separation of church and state, I am not happy about your declaring a "National Day of Prayer" (with caps, no less!).

There are some great answers in the thread, though.

Our Fellowship is now doing virtual services. Hope and prayers do not kill COVID-19.

We are in Dallas. If we get  to SA we will be screened and have to prove the ability to self isolate for 14 days. My daughter sent us reams of documents to get through Customs. 

[GreyhoundFan]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Because what would a press conference with Twitler be if it weren't for the lies?

 

Edited March 14, 2020 by GreyhoundFan

[GreyhoundFan]

Okay, I've seen it all...the Heritage Foundation praising AOC? Wow.

 

[neurogirl]

I'm in SoCal. Disneyland is closed for just the 4th time in HISTORY (1st since 9/11). Local schools were open Friday but are closing now for 3 weeks, my University is closed, and people have for the most part already stocked up. I am young and relatively healthy but I have asthma so I'm glad other people are taking this seriously as I was freaking out before. I'm hoping CA sets a decent example and that the response at least flattens the caseload curve.

My parents are in the Midwest, where some people are blaming "the Media" and hint, its not FOX they're blaming. My mom works in the ICU so we're all preparing for her being on the front lines. 

It's really scary and everything is weird. I'm 95% concerned for everyone's health, and also 5% sad about life disruptions - my PhD graduation ceremonies in June have already been altered. My anxiety, which was already tested in grad school, is through the roof right now. It's a good thing my dog is a cuddler. She's the best medication I could have right now. Some stuff just doesn't even feel real right now.

[milkteeth]

There are people here in the Pacific Northwest who still aren't taking this seriously. We had a lady who was in a higher risk age group come in to our clinic for a rash. It didn't hurt or anything, but she and her husband were taking advantage of the super low airline fares going on right now and were treating themselves to a spontaneous trip to Hawaii and she was going to be wearing shorts there. 

I had someone call yesterday asking if we had COVID-19 tests available. Apparently within the past 30 days he went to a large event that had people from all over the world attending and he was starting to develop a cough. He said that he interacts with a lot of elderly people who come in to his work, and while his symptoms seem mild he didn't want to pass it along to anyone. His boss said the only way he could miss work was if he tested positive for COVID-19.

It's hard to know at this point what will make people take this seriously and change their behavior. 

 

[elliha]

OK, I now have a cold so that feels a bit scary. 99% it is a regular cold since my nose is already stuffy but I will of course keep myself at home. I do not have a fever so I assume I will work from home as normal on Monday. 

My region got another 2 cases making it 11 cases here. There is still no worry of virus in the community in this region but now people have started with the stupid hoarding especially of toilet paper and pasta. Sweden got their second death today. New cases seem to rolling around 100-200 cases per day but still few people are in critical condition and as I said, only two death so far. I fear I sound very matter of fact and detached but I am not. I care for people and I try to follow all guidelines carefully but it is like I am a nurse taking care of a guy with blood splattering all over. I am calm because I know I have to be but I still see how bad things can be and yet hopeful that things can be handled. 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Why Trump isn’t getting the payroll-tax cut he wanted for the coronavirus"

Spoiler

One thing President Trump has been consistent about in his coronavirus response is that he wants Congress to cut payroll taxes for all Americans and employers until the end of the year. He mentioned it in his national address Wednesday and tweeted about it Friday, and The Washington Post reports it was a reason a coronavirus aid package was held up in Congress for much of the week.

But the one thing both parties in Congress immediately agreed on is they don’t want to give it to him. Why? On the surface, it sounds nice: More money in Americans’ and employers’ pockets to help stem a nose-diving stock market and an economy that soon will feel the weight of cancellations everywhere, and is possibly already in a recession.

But Congress says it’s an expensive, unrealistic effort that could paper over the real economic struggles that the coronavirus brings to Americans. Here’s why Trump didn’t get his payroll-tax cut in this round of legislation and probably won’t:

Any tax break on paychecks would come out of the Social Security fund: That would risk seriously denting it or even depleting it, meaning people who depend on their Social Security check each month might not get it in a worst-case scenario. That’s the primary reason Republicans oppose a cut, said a senior Republican Senate aide.

It’s super expensive: Eliminating the payroll tax for both employees and employers would cost the government about $90 billion a month, aides in Congress estimated. Multiply that over the entire year and you’re looking at about $1 trillion in lost government revenue. The New York Times Jim Tankersley put that in perspective: That’s more than the 2008 Wall Street bailout or the 2009 stimulus bill to prop up the economy after the crash that ignited the Great Recession.

It would increase most paychecks by 7.65 percent, but that doesn’t help shift workers or those who rely on tips, said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, on Wednesday. That’s because most of their money doesn’t come from paychecks.

It only helps people who are working now: So if you’re unemployed — or lost your job because of the coronavirus — this wouldn’t help you. And from Democrats’ perspective, it could distract from the real goal they want: mandatory paid sick leave.

“If a single mom gets a notice from school her child has to stay home, her getting a payroll-tax deduction or refund isn’t going to help her if she loses her job,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said Friday on MSNBC.

Here’s how Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) describes the idea of a payroll-tax cut: “We don’t think they should just throw money out of an airplane and hope some of it lands on the people who are affected.”

Republicans aren’t quite as vocal about their opposition to this, given their reluctance to upset Trump. But behind the scenes, this isn’t something that they’re seriously considering, no matter how much Trump tweets it or asks Congress for it in national addresses.

And it looks like in the next week, Republicans and Democrats could pass a coronavirus aid package that gives Americans everything from extended unemployment insurance to some paid sick leave to food aid — but not a break on their payroll taxes.

 

6 minutes ago, elliha said:

OK, I now have a cold so that feels a bit scary. 99% it is a regular cold since my nose is already stuffy but I will of course keep myself at home. I do not have a fever so I assume I will work from home as normal on Monday. 

Right there with you. I have a cold. Stuffy head and wet cough due to post-nasal drip. I don't have any of the COVID-19 symptoms (fever, dry cough, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, etc), but so many of my friends are wigged out. I already work from home and have most of my groceries delivered, so I'm just laying low.

[Carol]

My heart goes out to all of us who are struggling through the CoronaVirus pandemic.  I am hunkered down at home with 3 issues that would make getting this virus dangerous for me.  I am trying to remain calm(reminds me of a book my father had..."You Must Relax!"...and think good thoughts.  I feel like I've done everything I can to take care of myself.  Now it's a matter of waiting it out, trying to balance The Sky Is Falling!! and Common Sense.  It's time for me to be my highest and best self.  

Yesterday The New York Times published a list of feel good shows people can stream.  I thought I'd post it here.    

Schitt's Creek, The Simpsons, 30 Rock, The Great British Baking Show, Daria, Gilmore Girls, Being Erica, The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Adventure Time, Gavin & Stacy.  They left out Parks and Recreation.

Feel free to add to this list, I'm sure there are many more.  We need all the help we can get. ? 

[GreyhoundFan]

I hope other states follow suit:

 

9 minutes ago, Carol said:

Schitt's Creek, The Simpsons, 30 Rock, The Great British Baking Show, Daria, Gilmore Girls, Being Erica, The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Adventure Time, Gavin & Stacy.  They left out Parks and Recreation.

I recently binge re-watched the entire Daria series. God, I love that show.

[fundiefan]

I had surgery on Monday and had already been preparing & planning to be home for 3-4 weeks. So, I'm not as worried as some and in a weird way, that makes me feel lucky. There were some complications with surgery and I'm now expected to be home for up to 6 weeks. But, I am still going to be ok because I had known about the surgery for 2 months in advance. I have everything I need, and while I may run out of fresh produce and milk, I certainly won't starve. My sister was here with me from the day after surgery when I came home until this morning - I am actually more concerned about her than myself. Since she was here, she didn't get to do her own grocery shopping this week and with the hoarding & empty shelves, I sincerely question what she'll be able to find. But, if she needs anything, she knows she can come here to get it. 

I am actually just mostly concerned about the people left with nothing because of the insane hoarding. Why are you buying 12 hand sanitizers & 10 packs of toilet paper and leaving the shelves empty? Why are you preparing for your own personal Armageddon & not giving a rat's ass about anyone else? You know, if you neighbor gets sick, you are more likely to get sick yourself. Why not leave some supplies for your neighbors? 

[Cartmann99]

1 hour ago, GreyhoundFan said:

 

We need someone like Randy Rainbow to make a video with a catchy song about keeping your hands in your pockets as much as possible when you are in public.

[JMarie]

16 hours ago, thoughtful said:

Thanks, asshole.

For a lot of Americans, it would have been a day of prayer anyway. And, as someone who would really like to see this country stand by its supposed separation of church and state, I am not happy about your declaring a "National Day of Prayer" (with caps, no less!).

There are some great answers in the thread, though.

Says the president who doesn't attend church (or any other religious service)

[GreyhoundFan]

 

[fraurosena]

Things are pretty bad in France.

 

[thoughtful]

31 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

We need someone like Randy Rainbow to make a video with a catchy song about keeping your hands in your pockets as much as possible when you are in public.

He may be working on something. He appears to be in self-imposed isolation, based on Twitter posts and the tour schedule at the top of the page:

https://twitter.com/RandyRainbow

Edited March 14, 2020 by thoughtful
adding a word

[JMarie]

1 hour ago, milkteeth said:

she and her husband were taking advantage of the super low airline fares going on right now

Yesterday on Fox and Friends, Ainsley Earnhardt ENCOURAGED people to fly.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-hosts-encourage-viewers-to-fly-as-network-brass-bans-non-essential-travel

Quote

During Friday’s broadcast of Fox & Friends, co-host Ainsley Earhardt said that sparsely booked flights and near-empty airports mean “It’s actually the safest time to fly.” She added, “Everyone that I know that’s flying right now, terminals are pretty much dead. Ghost towns.”

Besides claiming it’s the “safest” time to fly—during a pandemic—Earhardt also gushed over the comfort and extra space passengers will enjoy on these emptier flights. “Remember back in the day when you had a seat next to you possibly empty?” Earhardt excitedly noted. “You could stretch out a little more. It’s like that on every flight now.”

Earhardt wasn’t the only prominent Fox News host actively encouraging viewers to travel by air. Primetime host Laura Ingraham, apparently from her seat on a United Airlines flight to Chicago, tweeted that it was a “great time to fly if not in at-risk population,” essentially cutting an ad for the airline as she praised the cleanliness of the plane and the “wonderful flight attendants.”

 

[thoughtful]

3 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

 

I can just imagine them thinking "hmmmm . . . how long can we keep this up . . . whose turn is it?"

[JMarie]

 

36 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I recently binge re-watched the entire Daria series. God, I love that show.

I still have three VHS tapes of Daria episodes.  I have the series on DVD, but it's so much better with the original music.  Bonus for the late '90s commercials.

[Cartmann99]

3 minutes ago, JMarie said:

Yesterday on Fox and Friends, Ainsley Earnhardt ENCOURAGED people to fly.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-hosts-encourage-viewers-to-fly-as-network-brass-bans-non-essential-travel

 

Rufus bless. People like Ainsley are the reason we have tags on blow driers telling us not to use them in the shower.

[IrishCarrie]

Someone a few pages back asked how the media in other countries is portraying the American response to the virus - our main evening news show in Ireland just did a little overview on how a number of other countries are dealing with it and I'm afraid the USA segment used words like "contradictory" and "confused" when it described Trump's handling of it...

?‍♀️

[GreyhoundFan]

 

[JMarie]

Something heartwarming (because we could all use something heartwarming)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/zion-pledges-to-cover-pelicans-arena-staff-salaries-for-next-30-days/ar-BB11aamD?ocid=spartanntp

[Ozlsn]

6 hours ago, Audrey2 said:

The Multnomah County Library system, Portland, Oregon's library system, has closed indefinitely. Items on hold are still on hold, and no fines are growing on late items.

I just put 11 books on hold in the somewhat forlorn hope that I'll be able to collect at least one before the libraries close here (reading 2 popular series, usually put holds on the next 3 or so as I finish one, might have accidentally discovered my library's hold limit).

2 hours ago, milkteeth said:

His boss said the only way he could miss work was if he tested positive for COVID-19.

It's hard to know at this point what will make people take this seriously and change their behavior. 

If I had an elderly relative who fell ill as a result of this company's decision I would sue the hell out of them.  

[GreyhoundFan]

Because he's too bigly to follow rules: "Trump is breaking every rule in the CDC’s 450-page playbook for health crisis"

Spoiler

Amid an outbreak where vaccines, drug treatments and even sufficient testing don’t yet exist, communication that is delivered early, accurately and credibly is the strongest medicine in the government’s arsenal.

But the Trump administration’s zigzagging, defensive, inconsistent messages about the novel coronavirus continued Friday, breaking almost every rule in the book and eroding the most powerful weapon officials possess: Public trust.

After disastrous communications during the 2001 anthrax attacks — when white powder in envelopes sparked widespread panic — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created a 450-page manual outlining how U.S. leaders should talk to the public during crises.

Protecting vulnerable people from a virus that, according to some projections, could infect millions and kill hundreds of thousands, depends on U.S. leaders issuing clear public health instructions and the public’s trust to follow directions that could save their lives.

“Sometimes it seems like they have literally thrown out the book,” said Joshua Sharfstein, a former top FDA official and Johns Hopkins University professor who is using the CDC manual to teach a crisis communication class. “We’re studying what to do — and at times seeing what not to do — on the same day.”

Two weeks ago, Trump said the country would soon have zero cases. This week, there were more than 2,200 and 49 deaths. When asked at a news conference Friday why he disbanded the White House’s pandemic office, Trump denied doing so, saying, “I didn’t do it … I don’t know anything about it.” When asked if he bore any responsibility for disastrous delays in testing, Trump said no, blaming instead “circumstances” and “regulations” created by others. When asked if Americans should believe Trump or his top health official, Anthony S. Fauci — whom Trump has contradicted repeatedly — Trump sidestepped the question.

“For those of us in this field, this is profoundly and deeply distressing,” said Matthew Seeger, a risk communication expert at Wayne State University who developed the CDC guidebook alongside many top doctors, public health researchers, scientists, consultants and behavioral psychologists.

“It’s creating higher levels of anxiety, higher levels of uncertainty and higher levels of social disruption. … We spent decades training people and investing in developing this competency. We know how to do this.”

For three years, the Trump administration has often taken a hostile stance to science and its practitioners, but health crisis experts say it’s not too late and the fruits of their research — like the CDC’s 450-page manual — are waiting, untapped, to serve as a road map to help leaders navigate the growing pandemic.

Breaking every rule

The fundamental principles behind good public health communication are almost stunningly simple: Be consistent. Be accurate. Don’t withhold vital information, the CDC manual says. And above all, don’t let anyone onto the podium without the preparation, knowledge and discipline to deliver vital health messages.

Experts say that means not having multiple messengers jockeying for attention with completely different information. It means not overly reassuring people in the face of a threat that is likely to sicken many and kill some. It also means expressing empathy while also delivering information that may be scary. Tell people what they can and should do at an individual level to help those who are at greatest risk.

“It’s in the nature of leaders sometimes to want to tell everybody we have everything under control,” said Michael Palenchar, a crisis communications expert at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. “We know overwhelmingly that research suggests that’s detrimental to health and safety.”

Palenchar was one of more than 180 who contributed to the CDC manual, including experts from the CDC, American Red Cross, FBI and EPA as well as federal and state health departments.

They compiled a list of pitfalls to avoid — a list that has begun to look a lot like the administration’s playbook.

Nearly every day since the coronavirus landed in America, the White House has issued “mixed and conflicting messages from multiple sources,” the first guideline in the manual’s list of potentially harmful practices. “Overly reassuring and unrealistic communication” has come from the highest levels of government. The “perception that certain groups are gaining preferential treatment” has become a problem with health care workers complaining they can’t get tested while two asymptomatic Trump allies in Congress, Celine Dion and the members of the Utah Jazz basketball team were able to access tests.

Crucial messaging also appears to be failing to reach or convince many in America. Nearly 50 million in the country are 65 or older — the most vulnerable age group for severe symptoms and death. But many are shrugging off pleas for them to practice social distancing. At The Villages, a sprawling Florida retirement community, many seniors said the crisis is being overblown and talked of continuing their normal lives.

The Right Spokesperson

The CDC manual devotes an entire chapter to “choosing the right spokesperson,” someone who gives the government and its message “a human form.” But the government’s leading health experts have had to repeatedly cede the microphone to politicians — with the nation’s top health officials repeatedly canceling news conferences to make room for Vice President Pence or Trump or to avoid upstaging other White House announcements.

Last week, instead of holding CDC’s news conference focused on coronavirus, Trump toured the CDC in front of cameras, telling the public, “Anybody right now and yesterday, anybody that needs a test gets a test. And the tests are beautiful.” This Friday, CDC’s press call was canceled again so that Trump could hold his Rose Garden news conference.

In recent days, rather than having one voice, the spokesperson role has ping ponged among Pence, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Fauci and Trump. Trump in particular checks off many of attributes the manual specifically warns against. The spokesperson must be “familiar with the subject matter” and have the “ability to talk about it clearly and with confidence.”

Since taking office, Trump has ousted scientists, muzzled researchers and suppressed basic information on climate change. Public health officials worry that his erosion of public trust of science, coupled with the ongoing conflicting messaging between experts and politicians, is making it unclear whom the public should listen to.

“I’m fearful we’ve continued to undermine our belief that subject matter experts are people we should listen to,” said Seeger, the Wayne State professor. “We’ve done a good job over the last couple decades of undermining science and telling people scientists aren’t to be believed.”

Class in Session

All semester long, Johns Hopkins professor Sharfstein has been drilling the principles of the CDC manual into the class he teaches at Johns Hopkins. On Thursday, as the White house issued more contradictory statement, his students — a mix of undergrad and graduate students — debated the Trump administration’s response, which has served as a real-time master class for what not to do in a crisis.

They compared it to historical blunders in health communications: the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, when officials gave overly optimistic timetables on vaccines, and bungled messaging by British leaders on mad cow disease in the 1990s, which led to millions in economic damage to the country’s beef industry.

Similarly, several students noted, the messaging disasters in recent weeks have muddled and overshadowed lifesaving health advice to the public.

Many of his students were especially puzzled by the Trump administration’s reluctance to admit fault on its dire problems in testing for the coronavirus.

“They have so much less credibility because of that,” said one student, noting how questions of what went wrong keep dominating congressional hearings and news conferences — making it hard to get instructions to the public on how to prepare and suppress the spreading virus.

Another empathized with Trump officials: “It’s a fine line between apologizing and putting yourself out there for attacks.”

Sharfstein — who served as Maryland’s health secretary and a top FDA official in the Obama administration — asked his students whether they thought the Trump administration would be willing to make a partial admission: “Obviously something has gone wrong. There will be time to assess what went wrong, but right now here’s what I’m focused on to fix the problem.”

Students began workshopping what the White House could do to right the ship:

— Tell Americans, “We made mistakes. Here’s how we’re going to fix them.”

— Stop pretending testing is fine. Explain what solutions are underway

— One student simply cited the cover of the CDC manual: “Be first. Be right. Be credible.”