Donald Trump and maga Republicans must fire Robert F. Kennedy Jr because he is dangerous and destroying Ameica's health

"The growing disgrace and danger of Robert F. Kennedy Junior," Robert Reich.

"Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services, is endangering the health of the American people now and into the future. He must resign." Senator Bernie Sanders.

An echo opinion published in The New York Times: 

We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health By William Foege,William Roper, David Satcher, Jeffrey Koplan, Richard Besser, Tom Frieden, Anne Schuchat, Rochelle P. Walensky and Mandy K. Cohen. The authors previously led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as directors or acting directors under Republican and Democratic administrations.

We have each had the honor and privilege of serving as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, either in a permanent or an acting capacity, dating back to 1977. Collectively, we spent more than 100 years working at the C.D.C., the world’s pre-eminent public health agency. We served under multiple Republican and Democratic administrations — every president from Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump — alongside thousands of dedicated staff members who shared our commitment to saving lives and improving health.

What the health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has done to the C.D.C. and to our nation’s public health system over the past several months — culminating in his decision to fire Susan Monarez as C.D.C. director days ago — is unlike anything we had ever seen at the agency and unlike anything our country had ever experienced.

Kennedy fired thousands of federal health workers and severely weakened programs designed to protect Americans from cancer, heart attacks, strokes, lead poisoning, injury, violence and more. Amid the largest measles outbreak in the United States in a generation, he’s focused on unproven treatments while downplaying vaccines. He canceled investments in promising medical research that will leave us ill prepared for future health emergencies. He replaced experts on federal health advisory committees with unqualified individuals who share his dangerous and unscientific views. He announced the end of U.S. support for global vaccination programs that protect millions of children and keep Americans safe, citing flawed research and making inaccurate statements. And he championed federal legislation that will cause millions of people with health insurance through Medicaid to lose their coverage. Firing Dr. Monarez — which led to the resignations of top C.D.C. officials — adds considerable fuel to this raging fire.

We are worried about the wide-ranging impact that all these decisions will have on America’s health security. Residents of rural communities and people with disabilities will have even more limited access to health care. Families with low incomes who rely most heavily on community health clinics and support from state and local health departments will have fewer resources available to them. Children risk losing access to life saving vaccines because of the cost.

This is unacceptable, and it should alarm every American, regardless of political leanings.

The C.D.C. is an agency under the Department of Health and Human Services. During our C.D.C. tenures, we did not always agree with our leaders, but they never gave us reason to doubt that they would rely on data-driven insights for our protection or that they would support public health workers. 

We need only look to Operation Warp Speed during the first Trump administration — which produced highly effective and safe vaccines that saved millions of lives during the Covid-19 pandemic — as a shining example of what Health and Human Services can accomplish when health and science are at the forefront of its mission.

The current department leadership, however, operates under a very different set of rules. When RFKjr (Kennedy) administered the oath of office to Dr. Monarez on July 31, he called her “a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials.” 

But when she refused weeks later to rubber-stamp his dangerous and unfounded vaccine recommendations or heed his demand to fire senior C.D.C. staff members, he decided she was expendable.

These are not typical requests from a health secretary to a C.D.C. director. Not even close. None of us would have agreed to the secretary’s demands, and we applaud Dr. Monarez for standing up for the agency and the health of our communities.

When the C.D.C. was created in 1946, the average life expectancy in the United States was around 66 years. Today it is more than 78 years. While medical advances have helped, it is public health that has played the biggest role in improving both the length and the quality of life in our nation. The C.D.C. has led efforts to eradicate smallpox, increase access to lifesaving vaccinations and significantly reduce smoking rates. 

Also, the agency is on the front lines in communities across the country, delivering crucial but often less visible wins — such as containing an outbreak of H.I.V. cases in Scott County, Ind., and protecting residents in East Palestine, Ohio, from toxic chemical exposure.

The C.D.C. is not perfect. What institution is? But over its history, regardless of which party has controlled the White House or Congress, the agency has not wavered from its mission. 

To those on the C.D.C. staff who continue to perform their jobs heroically in the face of the excruciating circumstances, we offer our sincere thanks and appreciation. Their ongoing dedication is a model for all of us. But it’s clear that the agency is hurting badly. The loss of Dr. Monarez and other top leaders will make it far more difficult for the C.D.C. to do what it has done for about 80 years: to work around the clock to protect Americans from threats to their lives and health.

We have a message for the rest of the nation as well. 

This is a crucial time to rally to protect the health of every American. Congress must exercise its oversight authority over Health and Human Services. State and local governments must fill funding gaps where they can. Philanthropy and the private sector must step up their community investments. Medical groups must continue to stand up for science and truth. Physicians must continue to support their patients with sound guidance and empathy.

And each of us must do what public health does best: look out for one another.

The professional men and women who joined the C.D.C. across generations have done so, not for prestige or power, but because they believe deeply in the call to service. They deserve a health and human services secretary who stands up for health, supports science and has their back. So, too, does our country.

Dr. William Foege served as director of the C.D.C. from 1977 to 1983. Dr. William Roper served as director of the C.D.C. from 1990 to 1993. Dr. David Satcher served as director of the C.D.C. from 1993 to 1998. Dr. Jeffrey Koplan served as director of the C.D.C. from 1998 to 2002. Dr. Richard Besser served as acting director of the C.D.C. in 2009. Dr. Tom Frieden served as director of the C.D.C. from 2009 to 2017. Dr. Anne Schuchat served as acting director of the C.D.C. in 2017 and 2018. Dr. Rochelle Walensky served as director of the C.D.C. from 2021 to 2023. Dr. Mandy Cohen served as director of the C.D.C. from 2023 to 2025.

Measles epedemic continues to infect more people while RFKjr downplays vaccine compliance

Measles is a preventable infection. Republicans must call for the resignation of Department of Health and Human Services appointment by Trump - the irresponsible RFKjr, because he is incompetent, without any medical credentials and, frankly, he is crazy. Senator Susan Collins ALERT❗⚠️

Measles cases reach 1,046 in US as infections confirmed in 30 states: CDC:  This is the second highest case count in 25 years, CDC data shows. Echo report by Mary Kekatos and Dr. Karen Tachi Udoh, published by ABC News:

Measles cases have reached 1,046 as the virus continues spreading across the United States, according to data updated Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Cases have been confirmed in 30 states including Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.

Infectious disease experts have previously said the U.S. is likely on track to surpass the 2019, total of 1,274 cases, which were confirmed over the course of a year. This year's total also marks the second highest case count in 25 years, CDC data shows.

The CDC says 12% of measles patients in the U.S. this year have been hospitalized, the majority of whom are under age 19.

About 96% of measles cases are among those who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, according to CDC data.

Meanwhile, 1% of cases are among those who have received just one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and 2% of cases are among those who received the recommended two doses, according to the CDC.

At least three deaths have been confirmed this year, two among children and one among an adult, all of whom were unvaccinated.

It comes as an unvaccinated traveler with measles may have exposed people at Denver International Airport and a nearby hotel, health officials said on Thursday.

The patient was in the international terminal on Tuesday, May 13, and then took a shuttle to stay at the nearby Quality Inn and Suites that night. The next day, the patient took a shuttle back to the airport and boarded a domestic flight.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment said anybody who may have been exposed on either flight will be directly notified by health officials.

Similarly, a resident of King County in Washington state traveled through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and a medical center while infectious, Public Health – Seattle & King County said on Tuesday. The individual was likely exposed to measles while recently traveling internationally.

Additionally, the New Jersey Department of Health sent out an alert that a non-resident with measles attended the Shakira concert at MetLife stadium last week, potentially exposing people.

Although the concert occurred on May 16, officials warned that people may develop symptoms as late as June 6. So far, no associated cases have been identified.

The CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC says.

Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, due to a highly effective vaccination program, according to the CDC. But vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is incompetent and he must resign. He shows zero leadership while the measles outbreak grows

Echo report published in Medscape from JAMA, by Kathryn M. Edwards, M.D.

Texas measles outbreak tops 500 cases, including multiple at a day care in Lubbock

A day care facility in a Texas county that’s part of the measles outbreak has multiple cases, including children too young to be fully vaccinated, public health officials say.  West Texas is in the middle of a still-growing measles outbreak with 505 cases reported on Tuesday. (Associated Press)

In late January 2025, there were 2 cases of measles reported in a religious community in Texas. The outbreak spread rapidly, with 422 cases reported by April 1, 2025 (no April Fools 😓). The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr, commented on the outbreak in February 2025, stating that “There have been four measles outbreaks this year and last year there were 16. So, it is not unusual.”

What RFKjr did not acknowledge was that the rapidly spreading Texas outbreak has affected unvaccinated children, and that a child died. The last pediatric measles death in the US was in 2003 and the last adult death was in 2015. 

In 2024, there were 285 measles cases in the US; as of March 27, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that there have been a total of 483 confirmed measles cases in 20 states and the outbreak continues to spread widely. The HHS secretary stated that children were being hospitalized for quarantine, but this was refuted by hospital officials who confirmed that the children were admitted for respiratory difficulties, with several receiving ventilator support. The trivialization of this outbreak by the HHS secretary was medically inappropriate and delayed issuing strong recommendations for widespread measles immunization of the previously unimmunized. It was also a major setback because measles had been declared eliminated from the US in 2000 by the World Health Organization.2

On March 3, 2025, the HHS aka RFKjr, secretary posted a commentary on Fox (Fake❗News) that outlined several facts about measles and recommended that “All parents should consult with their healthcare providers to understand their options to get the MMR vaccine. The decision to vaccinate is a personal one.” He should have strongly advocated for MMR vaccination because it is one of the most effective vaccines. It is given in 2 doses: the first at 12 to 15 months of age and the second at 4 to 6 years of age. One dose has a projected efficacy of 93% and 2 doses has projected efficacy of 97%. Data clearly show that a strong presumptive recommendation by a health care professional significantly increases vaccine uptake compared with simply outlining vaccine options, as was done by the HHS secretary.

In addition, RFKjr should have stated that high community measles immunization levels are needed to stop the outbreak. As higher proportions of children are immunized, other children in the community who are too young or too immunocompromised to be immunized will be protected. 

Also, he commented in an interview with Fox (Fake❗) News on March 7, 2025, that Texas clinicians were giving steroids, antibiotics, and cod liver oil to their measles patients and “getting very, very, good results.” 

These anecdotal reports are misleading and should not serve as the source for patient treatment❗ 

Reports of children with vitamin A toxicity from Texas have also appeared. Treatment of measles is supportive, although oral vitamin A at appropriate doses is recommended by the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics for all children with measles, regardless of their preexisting nutrition status- because of the risk of eye involvement. The HHS secretary also linked measles severity to poor sanitation and nutrition, and stated that improvements in those areas eliminated more than 98% of deaths from measles before the availability of measles vaccine. However, just prior to the licensure of measles vaccine in 1963, there were approximately 500 yearly measles deaths in the US among a total US population of 150 million less individuals than today.

During evolving outbreaks, it has been standard practice of the CDC to promptly issue Health Alert Network advisory notices to provide emergency guidance for health care professionals. It was not until March 7, 2025, that the CDC issued a health advisory that “MMR vaccination remains the most important tool for preventing measles.”6 This statement should have been issued in January when the outbreak began. The advisory also indicated that young children aged 6 months to 1 year in communities with an outbreak should be immunized. An article by Rader et al published in JAMA on March 14, 2025, also strongly supported immunization of young children in the outbreak setting.7 It also highlighted that the risk of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a progressive usually fatal neurodegenerative brain disorder that is a complication of measles infection, is most common in children infected within the first year of life.8 Given the delayed issuance of the advisory, the controversial comments of the HHS secretary, and the knowledge that health-related information had been previously removed from the CDC website by executive order, the article by Rader et al was a timely and welcome publication. 

Also, it caused the reader to question whether we could continue to rely on the CDC to provide timely medical guidance or whether peer-reviewed articles in medical journals would replace the CDC as the go-to source of information. 

This query was furthered reinforced by the recent comments of Kevin Griffis, who resigned last week as the director of communications at the CDC. He stated that “My first-hand experience over the recent troubling weeks convinced me that Kennedy and his team are working to bend science to fit their own narratives, rather than allowing facts to guide policy.”

To provide proper care for individuals with infectious diseases, evidence-based approaches must be used. When CDC guidance is slow or incomplete, infectious disease specialists should provide updated educational materials to inform clinicians about the signs and symptoms of measles and appropriate infection control measures for office and clinic settings. Specialty organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Practitioners, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and other professional societies must step forward to strongly support vaccination and provide medical guidance. Efforts should also be extended to support our CDC colleagues who have toiled for decades in the interest of public health to ensure their expertise is heard. Additionally, rapid review and dissemination of peer-reviewed medical journal articles, such as the article by Rader et al,7 can serve as alternative sources of evidence-based approaches.

Further concerns about vaccine policy exist. The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting scheduled for February 25-27, 2025, was abruptly canceled. 

ACIP meetings are pivotal to the provision of vaccine recommendations for the entire public sector, encompassing half of vaccine delivery in the US, and are usually implemented in the private sector as well. The ACIP meetings offer an open forum where experts in public health, epidemiology, pediatrics, internal medicine, and other medical specialties meet at regular intervals to discuss new vaccines, debate their implementation, discuss outbreaks, and make vaccine recommendations. These recommendations, once approved by the CDC director, are then implemented. Recommendations for new meningococcal and chikungunya vaccines and modifications to influenza and respiratory syncytial virus vaccine recommendations were topics of discussion for the canceled February ACIP meeting. It also could have been a productive format to discuss the measles outbreak and affirm the importance of measles immunization in halting the outbreak. It was announced that the ACIP meeting has been rescheduled for April 15-16, 2025, imposing a 2-month delay in these recommendations and outbreak guidance.

Several other concerning events regarding vaccines have occurred over the past few weeks. The CDC was ordered to abandon vaccine promotions developed for measles and other vaccines. 

The National Institutes of Health was instructed to terminate funding for approved, merit-based grants designed to conduct studies on vaccine hesitancy and to promote vaccine uptake because it “does not prioritize research activities that focus on gaining scientific knowledge on why individuals are hesitant to be vaccinated and/or explore ways to improve vaccine interest and commitment.” 

Public health officials from West Texas have warned that recent federal funding cuts to the local health department will impede their response to the measles outbreak. 

Plus, earlier this week, Dr Peter Marks, the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the US Food and Drug Administration, resigned. In his resignation letter he stated that “It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.”

The measles outbreak must be approached with scientifically based recommendations for immunization and infection control. If the usual government sources of information cannot be relied on, medical journals and specialty societies must fill that gap. If our usual approaches are not effective, other strategies must be used.

Corresponding Author: Kathryn M. Edwards MD, 1300 Falkirk Ct, Nashville, TN 37221: "Approaches for MMR Vaccination During a Measles Outbreak and Evolving Domestic Attitudes"

Fight the COVID pandemic vaccines and masks: Follow expert medical advice!

Echo opinion: Our View- Get your shots and mask up:

Published in The Frederick Maryland News-Post editorial:

Some businesses around our community have signs up requiring patrons to wear a mask to enter. Some encourage wearing a mask, or even “strongly” encourage a mask. But a few only suggest a mask for unvaccinated people.

That is no longer enough, not in this evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Not with the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreading like wildfire across the country.

New infections are primarily hitting the unvaccinated, but increasingly we are seeing breakthrough infections among those fully vaccinated.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who has been fully vaccinated and received a booster, announced that he has tested positive for the virus, but that he was feeling well. Scientists note that most of those who have been vaccinated are not coming down with serious illness. But the danger is that they are still able to spread the virus to others.

This is the time to renew our efforts against the virus. And wearing a mask while in a public, indoor settings is second only to the vaccine for preventing an infection.

Looking at the surging numbers of hospitalizations in Frederick County is enough to scare anyone. Last week, they prompted County Executive Jan Gardner to advise everyone — regardless of vaccination status — to wear a mask while in stores and other indoor spaces.

That is absolutely the correct guidance.

Gardner’s office also urged churches and businesses to “strongly consider” requiring their visitors to mask up during the holiday season.

“Everyone needs to do their part to protect our loved ones and vulnerable people in our community,” Gardner said in a news release. “The winter surge is preventable if everyone would get vaccinated, tested, and follow health advisories.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci — the nation’s leading infectious disease expert — told CNN on Sunday that omicron is very likely to overtake the delta variant, the COVID mutation that is causing most infections in the country right now.

Scientists estimate that cases of the new variant double about every two to four days nationwide. Last week, the percentage of people in New York City testing positive for COVID-19 doubled in three days.

A cyberattack kicked the Maryland Health Department’s website offline two weekends ago but it was back running and on Tuesday reported 6,218 new cases in the previous 24 hours. The state has said hospitalization numbers paint a grim picture, with 1,392 people being treated.

More people are hospitalized now due to the virus in Frederick County than have been since the last huge surge last winter. 

Moreover, the number of patients being treated in the intensive care unit has also skyrocketed.

Frederick Health, the county’s largest health care system, was caring for 67 COVID-19 inpatients Monday, with 11 in the intensive care unit. Of the total inpatients, only 11 were vaccinated, according to the health system’s COVID-19 data dashboard.

To Frederick Health CEO and President Tom Kleinhanzl, the latest surge in hospitalizations was “entirely preventable.”

In a joint statement issued by Frederick (Maryland) Health and the county health department last week, officials warned that the real danger is that the hospital would be overwhelmed with patients.

Cheryl Cioffi, chief operating officer at the health system, said the best way for the community to assist hospital staff is to get vaccinated, get their booster shot, continue masking up indoors and exercise good judgment during the holiday season.

County Health Officer Dr. Barbara Brookmyer said: “We want our friends and family who need medical care to get the level of care they require without delay.”

The best way you can show appreciations to our health care workers for their tireless efforts to take care of this community is not to bring baked goods or candy to the hospital. Instead, get your shots and wear your mask, and keep yourself, your family and your friends out of the hospital.

"Wear a mask" orders prevent COVID19 growth rates- Memo to Governor Greg Abbott

An editorial echo opinion published in the The Eagle, a Texas newspaper, published in Bryan, Texas.  

This editorial position assumes "return to normal" is a realistic goal, with the caveat of "wear a mask". I tend to agree, but post COVID, the world may resume without restrictions, albeit there will be a "new normal".  No one, neither medical scientist or political pundit, could have predicted the intense virulence evidenced with the rapid spread and mutations of the COVID19 virus.

It is hard to argue with Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to open all Texas businesses 100 percent on Wednesday. For a year, now, business owners and employees have suffered under necessary COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions. The return to business is a sign that things are returning to normal.

But, more problematic was the governor’s misguided order that the masks that have saved so many lives can come out, unless universities, school districts, churches and businesses choose to maintain mask requirements and social distancing guidelines. Many have done so, and we hope many more follow. It is for the safety of everyone.

Abbott caved to the pressure from his political supporters in ending the mask mandate. Shame on him for putting politics before the health of Texans.

The governor of Mississippi quickly followed and removed that state’s mask mandate, while the governor of Alabama announced an April 9 end to a mask order there.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have taken issue with Abbott and the other governors. No surprise, since officials there have urged Americans to wear masks, whenever they are out and about.

In a report released Friday, the CDC said, from March 2020 to December, the mask orders were responsible for a 1% reduction in the growth rate of COVID-19 cases starting 20 days after people started wearing them. And even with requirements in place, the number of cases of COVID-19 associated with dining in restaurants increased during the same time period.

We’ll be the first to say we have missed our meals out with friends, family and coworkers. It will be nice to get back to eating in restaurants, even though far too many of our favorites closed for good during the devastating coronavirus economy.

Just because business will reopen at full capacity midweek doesn’t mean we can take off our masks and dive into the business whirl. Of course, we should follow the requirements that businesses and other places are maintaining. They care about their employees and customers and want everyone to stay as safe as possible.

Ultimately, it is up to each of us to take care of our own health and the health of those we love. We know wearing a mask can be annoying, but in some parts of the world, whole populations routinely wear a mask whenever they leave home. And those cautious people suffered the least from the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (Republican) has caved to political pressure rather than following the advice of medical scientists.

So lets plan on wearing our masks for a while longer. And let’s follow the advice of our medical experts — not politicians seeking to curry favor — on when it is safe to get rid of them. Even if some people around you foolishly are forgoing wearing a mask, continue to wear yours. You will help to keep yourself healthy as the pandemic goes on.

And let’s continue to social distance when we are among others.

Plus, if you haven’t gotten the COVID vaccine, now is the time to do so. Brazos and Washington counties have set up magnificent vaccine hubs that quickly administer the doses of the vaccines they receive. Walmart and CVS also are providing COVID vaccinations. It is getting easier and easier to get on the list to receive your vaccine. Until last week, America has been using the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, both of which require a second dose. If you have had your first, don’t forget to get the second. (Yes!)

The new Johnson & Johnson requires only a single dose and is, perhaps slightly less effective than the others. But all three keep people out of hospitals and significantly reduce the effects of the virus if caught.

We hadn’t planned to write about mask usage again, but the governor forced us to with his reckless removal of mask restrictions.

No matter what the governor says, it is too early to remove our masks when we go out.

Do it for yourself and those you care about.

Do it for all of us.

Someone inside the White House created parallel data about the COVID19 epidemic

Face the Nation on CBS, with Margaret Brennan and Dr. Deborah Birx

Dr. Deborah Birx on #Covid19 #disinformation inside the #Trump White House: “I saw the president presenting graphs that I never made” she tells Margaret Brennan: 
@margbrennan “Someone inside was creating a parallel set of data and graphics that were shown to the president"

Dr. Deborah Birx, an American physician and diplomat who served as the United States Global AIDS Coordinator for President Barack Obama and with Donald Trump between 2014 and 2020; she additionally served as the United States Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy between 2015 and 2021, and as the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force between February 2020 to January 2021

Washington DC — Dr. Deborah Birx spoke out about her tenure as coordinator of the White House's coronavirus task force under Donald Trump, telling "Face the Nation" new details about the 11 months she spent trying to steer the federal government's response to the pandemic.

In a wide-ranging interview, Birx spoke about her decision to join the task force in the first place, after repeatedly declining to do so, her relationship with Mr. Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, the legacy of her time in office and her upcoming retirement.

A transcript of Birx's interview moderator Margaret Brennan that aired Sunday on "Face the Nation" can be found here. A selection of highlights from the full interview appears below, lightly edited for length and clarity.

Joining the White House task force

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, we're at the end of February. CDC official gives a briefing to reporters that tanks the markets when she says that within the community there may be a virus spreading and it could cause severe disruption to daily life. Dr. Fauci goes on television a few days later and says the risk to Americans remains low. You're watching this and what are you thinking?

DR. BIRX: So I'm in South Africa. We have all of our countries in, from all over the world. We're going through — we're working 24 hours a day, but we have a break over dinner. And we're staying at a place where we can cook, and I love to cook. So, we're cooking, we're eating, we're watching CNN. And so over those two weeks of February, we're yelling at the CNN television saying, this is going to be a pandemic because the Chinese — what I saw from China, when you overwhelm your hospitals, you have to know that you have broad-based community spread before that happens. Yet they weren't seeing it.

And that really worried me because what we were looking for is people with symptoms. And so when people were coming into the country, we were looking for people with symptoms.

MARGARET BRENNAN: When you say we, who do you mean?

DR. BIRX: I mean the United States.

MARGARET BRENNAN: The CDC.

DR. BIRX: Well, the United — I think it was everybody. I don't know who was on the task force at that time, but I think multiple agencies were represented at that time.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But why wasn't it obvious to them, when you're watching this on TV and saying this is so clearly a pandemic that's coming to hit us hard?

DR. BIRX: I guess because I've been in a lot of pandemics, and I've learned from the things we've missed.

This is exactly how we missed the HIV pandemic. That's how we missed it when it started. I know that it's not a respiratory disease, but it has a large asymptomatic component. And so we didn't see it until people started getting sick. And that's true about many pandemics.

If you're only looking for sick people, you miss a lot of what is really happening under the surface. And so I was always worried that there was a big iceberg under the surface and we were just seeing the top of it. So, when we were questioning people who came into this country about symptoms rather than testing everybody who came into the country, that's when I started to get really worried.

At the same time, there were individuals — there was a single individual in the White House that had been calling me since January.

MARGARET BRENNAN: That was Matt Pottinger —

DR. BIRX: Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: — the deputy national security adviser?

DR. BIRX: Because I've known him and I've known his wife for a very long time. We've worked on pandemics together. Both of us were in Asia during SARS. And so we understood how serious this can go.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And he asked you, Matt Pottinger asks you to come from the State Department to the White House.

DR. BIRX: And I said no about 20 times.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Why?

DR. BIRX: Well, from the outside, everything looks very chaotic in the White House. I had spent —

MARGARET BRENNAN: Wasn't it?

DR. BIRX: — the first three years of this administration trying to stay out of the swirl, trying to protect the PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) program. We had extraordinary cuts, obviously, every year.

MARGARET BRENNAN: This is AIDS?

DR. BIRX: The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) Relief. It's what's changed the trajectory of the pandemic around the world, both for HIV and TB.

I had no interest in going into a political space. I'm not a political person. I'm a civil servant. I've never been a political person. I've never worked on a campaign. I've never campaigned for any of the candidates. I take the Hatch Act very seriously. I- I just am not a political person.

World Health Organization (WHO) Data site here.

So, it never occurred to me to go into the White House until I could see that we were missing pieces that I thought were very important in the response. And so after many weeks of saying, no, no, no, the president announced the new task force with the vice president in the lead. They said this would be very technical, and that I would have a very technical position. And because I thought that I could be helpful, which is the only reason I go and do anything. If I think I have something to add, I feel like it's my obligation to the American public to go in and do that. That's what a civil servant is supposed to do.

The crisis in the spring

MARGARET BRENNAN: Was that the moment, though, that moment in the spring — is that the moment you looked at the task force and you said, we have a serious problem here, this is not going according to plan?

DR. BIRX: I think everyone knew that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: When did that hit you?

DR. BIRX: Everyone knew that. Everyone knew that from, I would say, March 8, on. Because you only had to look at the slopes of the curves in these major metropolitan cities to understand what was happening and understanding if you're seeing that rate of hospitalization, how much community spread there was.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But you were trying to get Americans just to wear masks. And the president himself was undermining you. He wasn't wearing one. I mean, you would go out and talk about it can be a fashion statement from the podium. I mean, you were trying to make it light so people would accept it. But all these guidelines are getting undermined by the president himself. Is there ever a way to make that scenario work?

DR. BIRX: Well, you have to, because that's the president. So you have to figure out how to get that message out when you can't get it out from the head of the country. And that's our job. You don't give up. You don't say, well that didn't work so, of course, you know, everything is going to be terrible. You've got to try to make it the least terrible it can be. I mean, you can't ever in any moment when American lives are at stake, say, well, this is just too hard. I'm giving up.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But where's the vice president in all of this?

DR. BIRX: The vice president knew what I was doing.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You mean he knew that you were telling the governors privately to do things that the president publicly was making light of? When he was saying, you don't really need to wear a mask, or pushing to reopen the economy faster than your guidelines would allow, Mike Pence knew that?

DR. BIRX: He knew what I was doing because —

MARGARET BRENNAN: And he supported it?

DR. BIRX: — I don't —I'm not a person who would go out on their own and not do, you know, I wouldn't go —

MARGARET BRENNAN: Why would you have to be sneaking around? You're the head of the COVID task force and tens of thousands of Americans are dying. Why is that a covert operation?

DR. BIRX: Because, if this isn't working and you're not going to get that to work, you have to find another solution. I mean, you can't just say, well, the president is saying this so I'm going to give up on the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories that we support. I couldn't do that. And others couldn't either.

I mean, there was a team of people going out and supporting this approach. I felt all along that if we could have put 20 or 30 full-time Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel in every state for long term assignments, six-month assignments, they could help states get over these barriers and understand and help support states translate their guidance.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So you were looking at all this data. Do you think when you were in the room and briefing, even if it was with other people, do you think President Trump appreciated the gravity of the health crisis you were describing?

DR. BIRX: I think the president appreciated the gravity in March. It took awhile after I arrived in the White House to remove all of the ancillary data that was coming in. I mean, there was parallel data stream coming into the White House that were not transparently utilized. And I needed to stop that, where people were —

MARGARET BRENNAN: You mean outside advisers?

DR. BIRX: Outside advisers, coming to inside advisers. And to this day, I mean, until the day I left, I am convinced there were parallel data streams because I —

MARGARET BRENNAN: Disinformation?

DR. BIRX: I saw the president presenting graphs that I never made. So, I know that someone out there or someone inside was creating a parallel set of data and graphics that were shown to the president. I don't know to this day who, but I know what I sent up and I know that what was in his hands was different from that. That worries me because at any moment — I've built my career on data transparency and accountability. It is very important to me that we all agree how the data is collected and how we use it. We don't cut it in pieces and say, we're only going to look at it in this six weeks because it makes us look better. Or, we're all going to look at it in these two weeks because we look better than Europe in these two weeks. You can't do that. You have to use the entire database.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Who was doing that?

DR. BIRX: To this day, I don't know. I know now why watching some of the tapes that certainly Scott Atlas brought in parallel data streams. I don't know who else was part of it, but I think when the record goes back and people see what I was writing on a daily basis that was sent up to White House leadership, that they will see that I was highly specific on what I was seeing and what needed to be done.




MARGARET BRENNAN: What were the biggest obstacles to you communicating that, though? I mean, were there COVID deniers in the White House?

DR. BIRX: There are people in the White House and I think people around this country, because I've had the privilege to meet them and listen to them and hear them, because I wanted to hear what people were saying. There were people who definitely believed that this was a hoax.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Why?

DR. BIRX: I think because the information was confusing at the beginning. I think because we didn't talk about the spectrum of disease, because everyone interpreted on what they knew. And so they saw people get COVID and be fine. And then they had us talking about how severe the disease is and how it could cause these unbelievable fatalities of our American public.

I mean, so every American life lost, I mean — I haven't slept in 10 months or 11 months because those were the numbers. That's someone's parent. That's someone's grandparent. My great-grandmother was lost in the pandemic flu. I know what that feels like from just listening to my grandmother. To have that others feel that same level of pain and loss when it was preventable or could be preventable was really excruciating.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So you don't blame the president's own language of calling some of this politically motivated, a hoax? It was a phrase he used at one point.

DR. BIRX: You know, when you have a pandemic where you're relying on every American to change their behavior, communication is absolutely key. And so every time a statement was made by a political leader that wasn't consistent with public health needs, that derailed our response. It is also why I went out on the road because I wasn't censored on the road.
Working with governors

DR. BIRX: I was so frustrated by the end of May going into June by the lack of reaction to what I could see in the middle of May coming, that it and that — you combine that with the gating criteria not being utilized, that I realized that the only way, if I could not get a voice internally, that I could get a voice out at the state level because I could see the governors on the governor's call weekly and I could see how deeply they were concerned about every one of their citizens. Most of them were not in the middle of an election campaign.

And so by going out and working with the governors, two things happened. One, I got to see amazing things that are best practices and really bring those back. And what I've learned from Detroit and Chicago and Arkansas and Alabama and Texas and Arizona and up through Connecticut — I mean, it's just been amazing to be able to see really great solutions and try to bring those back. But that was the place where people would let me say what needed to be said about the pandemic, both in private with the governors and then in following up, doing press to talk to the people of that state.

It was difficult during the run-up to the election. That was the time when one of my daily reports — there was by that time 200 of them. That was when one of them was leaked, right before the election. So clearly there was some intentionality there. And I was talking about how severe the epidemic was in the Northern Plains states and saying if that epidemic gets into our populous states of California, Texas, Florida, New York, that this would be an early surge to what we expected in the winter with the expansion of this virus.

And so I was very worried. But others were worried, too. I want to make it clear this was just not Debbie Birx. There was a coalition of four of us at the beginning, from Steve Hahn to Bob Redfield to myself to Tony Fauci, making it clear that we would make sure that we could get the information out to the public in one way or the other. It's why I sent the information to all of them every morning, because I never knew who would have the ability to do press.
No "full-time team" at the White House

DR. BIRX: I was an N of 1. So having a team at the White House that can really respond to this is going to be really, really important, because the amount of work that needs to be done not only at the White House, but also at the state level to really ensure that we come out of this in some kind of normalcy by summer, will be really critical.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You said you were just one. You were coordinator of the task force. What do you mean, you were just one?

DR. BIRX: There was only one full-time person in the White House working on the coronavirus response. There —

MARGARET BRENNAN: How is that possible?

DR. BIRX: Well, that's what I was given. So what I did is, I went to my people that I've known all through the last years in government, all 41, and said, can you come and help me? And so I was able to recruit from other agencies, individuals.

And certainly, Irum Zaidi who I brought in from PEPFAR, was my chief epidemiologist and data developer for the PEPFAR program, where we really revolutionized data to really end the- work on ending the pandemic of HIV and TB in sub-Saharan Africa. And so I would be able to wicker together a group of volunteers who really helped me.

And I had one incredible support person, Tyler Ann McGuffee, who really helped make sure I was at meetings on time and didn't miss emails. But there was no team, full-time team in the White House working on coronavirus.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Did you ask for staff and you were denied?

DR. BIRX: I did ask for staff. I think what [the Biden administration is] doing, of bringing in an expert in testing, an expert in vaccines, an expert in data and data use, not just collecting data, but how to use it successfully, I think all of those pieces are going to be critical for their success, bringing in a full-time supply chain person.

And so, all of these individuals existed, but they existed in different pockets of government. So as a team, you're constantly having to work outward to getting everybody on board, to making sure the response is as coordinated as it can be.
Why Birx didn't quit

MARGARET BRENNAN: Did you ever consider quitting?

DR. BIRX: Always.

I mean, why would you want to put yourself through that everyday? Colleagues of mine that I had known for decades, decades in that one experience, because I was in the White House, decided that I had become this political person, even though they had known me forever.

I had to ask myself every morning, is there something that I think I can do that would be helpful in responding to this pandemic? And it's something I asked myself every night.

And when it became a point where I could — I wasn't getting anywhere and that was, like, right before the election, I wrote a very detailed communication plan of what needed to happen the day after the election and how that needed to be executed. And there was a lot of promise that that would happen.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Because you knew at that point that the election was a factor in communication about the virus?

DR. BIRX: Yes. Yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Did you ever withhold information yourself?

DR. BIRX: No. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: When some of those colleagues were repressing you, I mean, some people felt you became an apologist for President Trump. They look at that moment in the briefing room, you know the one I'm talking about, when he came out and he talked about injecting bleach and you were sitting there and he looked at you and he asked about ultraviolet light and heat —

DR. BIRX: See, that —

MARGARET BRENNAN: — and you start talking about fevers. You didn't say no.

DR. BIRX: No, no. OK, so —

MARGARET BRENNAN: Tell me.

DR. BIRX: — so let's go back to that, because that's a really critical moment.

He was not speaking to me. He was speaking to the DHS scientist that was two seats over from me that entire time. When he finally turned to me and said, is it a, could this be a treatment? I said, "not a treatment." You can look at the transcripts. "Not a treatment." That dialogue was between the president of the United States and a DHS scientist.

I have always been respectful of offices, and you can see I don't criticize people specifically in public. I don't think that — I always think that you need to transcend that and you need to find a way to communicate effectively where you're not criticizing a person in public.

So when he did turn to me at the very end of that dialogue, I said, "Not a treatment."

Now it's in the transcripts. It never got picked up by the press as, that is what actually happened.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Your answer when he said bleach, you said, not a treatment?

DR. BIRX: Not a treatment. When he turned to me and said, what do you think? Could this be a treatment? I said, not a treatment. But that moment was — that was completely lost.

And then there's, you know, skits on Saturday Night Live. I mean, when you're a scientist who's grounded themselves in data and combating epidemics and working with communities and working with governments to change the future of people's lives for the better and then you get, this is what — when you talked about, was I prepared for that? No, I wasn't prepared for that. I didn't even know what to do in that moment.

I think, you know, that's when you're in that, can't-let-the-floor-swallow-you-up moment. I mean, that conversation between two people was going on in front of me. And I, to this day, don't know what to do when that happens.

I think now — I think there's some people who thought that I would just stand up and take over the microphone from the president. I don't know what people's expectations were in that moment.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, sometimes people say, well, Tony Fauci, when that happened to- to him, he would sort of gently come back up to the podium and set the record straight if he disagreed with the president.

DR. BIRX: Well, he was given the opportunity to do that, though.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And you don't feel you were given the opportunity to respond?

DR. BIRX: Not until he turned to me and said, could this be a treatment? And I said, not a treatment. You know, in that moment, you know, people then want to define you by the moment and I understand — I, look, I understand how perceptions go. And I understand, I understood when Matt Pottinger was calling me to go into the White House and try to support a comprehensive coronavirus response by utilizing the strength of the federal government would be a terminal event for my federal career, which is part of the reason why I didn't want to do it.

MARGARET BRENNAN: A terminal event?

DR. BIRX: A terminal event. I know that I wouldn't be allowed to really continue successfully within the federal government. You can't go into something that's that polarized and not believe that you won't be tainted by that experience or how people interpret you in that experience.

So I knew that part of it. I didn't want that to happen.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And this will be the end of your federal career?

DR. BIRX: Yeah, I will need to retire probably within the next four to six weeks from CDC.
Her legacy

MARGARET BRENNAN: An immunologist, you were appointed by President Obama to work on AIDS relief, as you mentioned, at the State Department. Yet your name in the history books is going to be associated with President Donald Trump. How does that sit with you?

DR. BIRX: Well, you know, this is what worries me. When I see how partisan and divided the United States is that then gets played out in the civil service, and if we start looking at technical civil servants as belonging to a political party, we will lose the ability for highly qualified civil servants to come and help.

And we have amazingly qualified civil servants. They're at the CDC. They're at HHS. They're at FDA. They're at NIH. And most of the White House personnel are civil servants detailed there from their home agencies. If we start saying if you come in and do this, you are then going to be part of the political apparatus, that is going to be very dangerous for this country.

Epidemiology Research classic - A small town in Maine was the source of a super spreader COVID

A noteworthy report!  As a University of Southern Maine Nursing alumna, this report is consistent with the high research standards taught to us in the excellent curricula.

Cases are being investigated to Calvary Baptist Church, in Sanford, Maine, where Pastor Todd Bell continued to hold in-person services after officiating the wedding

CDC- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Faculty and staff from the University of Southern Maine (USM) contributed to a new analysis and narrative being used by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control, to better understand the spread of COVID-19.

Their report examines an August wedding held in rural Maine, in Millinocket, and COVID-19’s tragic reach across hundreds of miles, eventually infecting at least 177 (!) people.

Of those infected, seven people were hospitalized and seven died. The report was published in the U.S. CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the agency’s primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, authoritative and objective public health information and recommendations.

The University of Southern Maine's contribution included outbreak investigations by Sarah Bly, Megan Kelley and Craig Rothfuss — all School of Nursing epidemiology staff embedded with the Maine CDC — and Sara Huston, an associate research professor at the Cutler Institute. 

Other contributors include corresponding author Parag Mahale of the U.S. and Maine CDC and Sara Robinson and Siiri Bennett (Maine's State Epidemiologist) of the Maine CDC.

The report includes detailed numbers and dates on the spread of the disease, charting its spread from the intimate wedding to infections at a nursing home and a county jail.

The virus’s spread across the distances from a small event in a remote location should serve as a warning, said Huston, who helped craft the narrative.

“It travelled hundreds of miles and made so many people ill,” Huston said. “We were able to tie all the pieces together.”

In several key moments, the analysis found that people were not performing some commonly recommended tasks: wear a mask, maintain social distancing, wash your hands frequently, avoid gatherings and stay home when feeling ill.

Several Maine media outlets — including the Portland Press Herald and the Bangor Daily News — have written about the report.

Maine's CDC director Dr. Nirav Shah praised the report’s contributors during his Nov. 13th, briefing, according to the Portland Press Herald.

“It was published in the U.S. CDC’s flagship journal … and we did that for a couple of reasons, the first was we wanted to make sure that the other epidemiologists around the globe who are contending with COVID-19 have the benefit of understanding what we had uncovered with that outbreak,” said Shah in the Press Herald. “The second was we wanted to draw attention to just how far and wide and quickly and silently the virus can spread.”

Coronavirus infections continue: #TrumpVirus

 Reported in The Week:  the U.S. hits a grim pandemic milestone.  

In fact, the U.S. surpassed 200,000 coronavirus related deaths this week, the last week in September 2020, just days after Donald Trump publicly challenged the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) scientific advice about wearing masks and its timeline for a Covid-19 vaccine. Moreover, Trump said the CDC director, Dr. Robert Redfield had been "confused",  when he told Congress (under oath) that that a vaccine likely will not be "fully available" until the summer or fall of 2021.  (Pinocchio!) 

Trump stupidity in his own words!

Nevertheless, Donald Trump insisted that a vaccine could be approved as soon as October, 2020, with 1000 million doses ready by the end of the year. Concern about the political pressure being exerted on the CDC grew after the agency published and then removed new guidelines warning that the virus can be transmitted via respiratory aerosols- tiny particles that can linger in the air- as well as by larger respiratory droplets that fall quickly to the ground.  Donald Trump gave his (botched!)response to the pandemic as being "A-plus" and, at a packed rally in Ohio, where few were waring masks, he falsely said the Covid-19 "affects virtually nobody" except the elderly people with heart problems.

Meanwhile, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Utah set record highs for morbidity, with a seven day average of new confirmed cases and 21 other states saw increases in infections.  In fact, Olivia Troye, a former coronavirus task force adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, spoke out emphatically against Trump's handling of the pandemic, saying he showed a "flat-out disregard for human life" and cared only about his re-election. Troye, whom the White House called a "disgruntled ex-staffer", claimed that Trump once said, "Maybe this Covid thing is a good thing," because, "I don't have to shake hands with these disgusting people", meaning his supporters.

What the editorials said: #TrumpVirus

Mourning the 200,000 (++) dead, said The Washington Post, "and be angry- very angry".  The tragedy has been worsened by Donald Trump, who minimized the threat, refused to mobilize a large-scale government response, dismissed the importance of mask wearing and prodded the GOP run states to reopen before the viral spread was under control.  "Nothing more could have been done", Trump has said about coronavirus casualties. But, there is work to do.  "Wear a mask. Social distance. Wash your hands. And vote", wrote The Post. 

What the columnists said:

Tragically, the Trump administration is letting, "politics distort science", said Claudia Wallis in ScientificAmerican.com. Leaked emails have revealed how political appointees at the Department of Health and Human Services have tried to slow the release of data that contradict Trump, including a negative report on the fake cure hydroxychloroquine, the malaria drug that Trump touted as a Covid-19 therapy, and information about children spreading the virus. With scientific findings being run, through a political "distortion field", will the public be able to "trust federal assessments about the coronavirus treatments and the vaccines?," she wrote.

Here is the reality check:

The U.S. is trapped in a pandemic "death spiral", said Ed Yong in TheAtlantic.com.  Influenza season 2020-21, is approaching, which will make it harder to identify Covid-19 symptoms, and winter is not far away, which will pack people indoors. Our failure to build testing capacity and hire enough contact tracers means that many parts of the U.S. could see a repeat of the horror that New York City suffered in the spring 2020. Tragedy-numbered Americans might, "stop treating the pandemic as the emergency that it is," and, instead, accept thousands of daily deaths as "the unthinkable normal." #TrumpVirusGenocide, IMO.

Smart military leaders support public health - #wearamask

An opinion echo letter published in The Advocate, a Louisiana newspaper. 

A deployed aircraft carrier had to abort its mission in the Western Pacific because hundreds of her crew were sickened with COVID-19, disabling the ship as surely as a saboteur's mischief. Aborting the mission compromised U.S. strategic posture.

An enemy of the U.S. would do well to discourage social distancing and face masks among citizens so as to spread the disease quickly and thoroughly. ]

In so doing the goal would be to overwhelm the nation's medical, social and political systems so that the country was weakened and its institutions degraded or destroyed.

The practices advised by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are to keep the country healthy and thus strong, a responsibility of all Americans. Those who say that they have a "right" not to wear a mask or practice social distancing put themselves in the same category with those who have a right not to stand for the national anthem or not to say the Pledge of Allegiance or to trash the flag.

Keep 6 feet apart. Wear a mask. Those who do not risk being accused of hating America.  Be a patriot.

CMDR. EARL HIGGINS  U.S. Navy (Ret.) River Ridge Louisiana