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U.S. CDC director says 'We're nowhere near the end' of pandemic: NBC


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U.S. CDC director says 'We're nowhere near the end' of pandemic: NBC

 

2020-09-28T130942Z_2_LYNXMPEG8R1A7_RTROPTP_4_HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-USA-CDC.JPG

FILE PHOTO: Robert Redfield, MD, Director, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testifies during a U.S. Senate Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Hearing to examine COVID-19, focusing on an update on the federal response at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 23, 2020. Alex Edelman/Pool via REUTERS

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of a top U.S. government health agency contradicted President Donald Trump upbeat assessment of the coronavirus pandemic, saying "We're nowhere near the end," NBC News reported on Monday.

 

Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who Trump has rebuked for statements on the value of masks and vaccine availability, also expressed concern that Dr. Scott Atlas - a late addition to the coronavirus task force - is sharing inaccurate information with the president.

 

"Everything he says is false," Redfield said in a Friday telephone call while on a plane from Atlanta to Washington, NBC reported. Redfield later told NBC that he was speaking about Atlas.

 

Redfield was conspicuously absent from a White House Rose Garden event where Trump announced plans to ship 150 million rapid tests to U.S. states before asking Atlas, a neuroradiologist with no background in infectious diseases, to speak.

 

Atlas called expanded testing a "remarkable advance" but acknowledged that increased social mingling and testing had led to a rise in COVID-19 cases in parts of the country.

 

"Fear is not the issue here," he said. "We really have a handle on what's going on."

 

In the phone call, Redfield also said the threat from the coronavirus pandemic was far from over, contradicting Trump's assertion as he seeks re-election on Nov. 3 that the country was "rounding the corner."

 

"We're nowhere near the end," Redfield said.

 

The number of tests coming back positive for COVID-19 is topping 25% in several states in the U.S. Midwest as cases and hospitalizations also surge in the region, according to a Reuters analysis. Health experts have expressed concern about a second wave of infections as the weather gets colder and people spend more time indoors.

 

Trump publicly dismissed congressional testimony by Redfield earlier this month on when a vaccine could be broadly rolled out, calling him "confused." The president had also criticized Redfield for saying face coverings can be as effective as a vaccine.

 

"If every one of us did it, this pandemic would be over in eight to 12 weeks," Redfield told NBC.

 

The CDC said comments about Atlas overheard by NBC were just one side of a "private discussion regarding a number of points he has made publicly about COVID-19" and did not provide context for that discussion.

 

Redfield differs with Atlas on mask wearing, youth COVID-19 infections, and herd immunity status, but agrees with him on many other issues, the CDC said in a statement.

 

White House spokeswoman Sarah Matthews said Trump's advisers sometimes disagree, and that the president makes policy decisions based on all the information he receives.

 

The White House had no immediate comment when asked if Redfield's position was in jeopardy.

 

"When the President loses confidence in somebody, you will know it," said one senior administration official.

 

Atlas, who has no public health expertise, defended his advice to the president. "Everything I have said is directly from the data and the science," he said in a statement released by the White House.

 

Atlas's views on handling the pandemic have been denounced by his peers at Stanford University's medical school and other health experts.

 

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, Bill Berkrot and David Gregorio)

 

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-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-09-29
 
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1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

There is no evidence of ‘herd immunity’ being attainable.

This is simply not true.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41577-020-00451-5

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/media-resources/science-in-5/episode-1

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/viruses-dont-just-go-away-the-toll-of-reaching-herd-immunity-without-a-covid-19-vaccine

 

Please read these articles carefully. Heard immunity, even with a vaccine is what the goal would be. I have no time for people like you who come here and post a blanket statement like that as if you are a Doctor who specializes in the field. There is DEBATE DEBATE DEBATE around this subject not by politicians or those with an axe to grind on the right or left but my medical and science professionals. Much debate. People who come here and post words like yours however are trying to grind an political axe.

 

I am not sure what you think the future is going to be, If no immunity is ever going to be possible then what future do you envision? A lock-down that never ends? The virus goes away ? No such virus with all the possible mutations never returns? I could go on, but as has been said, everything is a matter of trade-offs, and society is suffering considerably from further lock-down, and I think we have not even seen the worst of the economic fallout. That translates to very damaged human beings resulting from over zealous attempts at achieving zero.

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15 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

His days should be numbered.  Not at all due to any contradiction with Trump but rather for the obvious right reasons.

OK, purveyor and owner of truth. Why should an MD with years of accredited experience be removed? Only facts, please. 

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43 minutes ago, J Town said:
1 hour ago, Tippaporn said:

His days should be numbered.  Not at all due to any contradiction with Trump but rather for the obvious right reasons.

OK, purveyor and owner of truth. Why should an MD with years of accredited experience be removed? Only facts, please. 

Roll out the credentials and he's good as gold.  Maybe even saintly.  (A practice reserved only for professionals residing on a certain side of a debate.)  Yes, the CDC under his leadership did a remarkable job during the pandemic.  The proof is always in the pudding.

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20 minutes ago, LeamchabangLarry said:

Redfield is no hero

He let it get to this point.  

too little WAY too late.  F that guy.  Burn in hell slowly

 

He may not be a hero but sorry the buck stops with the president. He's the one that needs to be held accountable.

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Wasn't the whole idea initially to flatten the curve?  Somehow it has gotten to eliminating the virus which will never happen, vaccine or no vaccine.  Australia must be loving the idea of eliminating the virus and being locked down for months at a time. 

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1 minute ago, spacex said:

Wasn't the whole idea initially to flatten the curve?  Somehow it has gotten to eliminating the virus which will never happen, vaccine or no vaccine.  Australia must be loving the idea of eliminating the virus and being locked down for months at a time. 

And to keep it flight. Not just a one-off goal.

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3 hours ago, Damual Travesty said:

If no immunity is ever going to be possible then what future do you envision?

I dare to answer that one, just on the base of my common sense:

 

First people would keep dying, mostly older people and we would see a substantial drop in life expectancy.

 

Many of those who are strong (younger) now would eventually get older and die too.

 

Our species would adapt to the threat as those who are genetically advantaged would survive and reproduced. This would take generations though and should not be mistaken with the so called "herd immunity".

 

But of course, along the way. the virus himself could get less, or more lethal, so the rate of change could be affected but the scenario would remain the same.

 

And lastly, Thai Immigration could come up with another, brand new, more effective virus to get rid of these dirty Farang geezers.

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