Early end to U.S. state lockdowns could cause needless 'suffering and death' - Fauci

[webfact]

Early end to U.S. state lockdowns could cause needless 'suffering and death' - Fauci

By Makini Brice and Richard Cowan

 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is seen in a frame grab from a video feed as he testifies remotely from his home during a U.S. Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Washington, U.S., May 12, 2020. U.S. Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee/Handout via REUTERS

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leading U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci on Tuesday warned Congress that a premature lifting of lockdowns could lead to additional outbreaks of the deadly coronavirus, which has killed 80,000 Americans and brought the economy to its knees.

 

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a U.S. Senate panel that the virus epidemic is not yet under control in areas of the nation.

 

"I think we're going in the right direction, but the right direction does not mean we have by any means total control of this outbreak," Fauci said during the 3-1/2-hour hearing.

 

He urged states to follow health experts' recommendations to wait for signs, including a declining number of new infections, before reopening.

 

President Donald Trump has been encouraging states to end a weeks-long shuttering of major components of their economies. But senators heard a sobering assessment from Fauci, when asked by Democrats about a premature opening of the economy.

 

"There is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control and, in fact paradoxically, will set you back, not only leading to some suffering and death that could be avoided, but could even set you back on the road to try to get economic recovery," Fauci said of premature steps.

 

The veteran doctor, who has worked under Republican and Democratic administrations and is a coronavirus adviser to the current White House, noted progress some in the fight against a virus that the medical world is still trying to understand.

 

He mentioned a slowing in the growth of cases in hotspots such as New York, even as other areas of the country were seeing spikes.

 

Some states already have begun reopening their economies and others have announced plans to phase that in beginning in mid-May, even as opinion polls show most Americans are concerned about resuming such operations too soon.

 

The hearing was more cordial than many of Congress's undertakings have been in recent years, with members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee addressing the non-partisan health experts politely.

 

Democrats on the committee largely concentrated on the risks of opening the U.S. economy now, while Republicans downplayed that notion, saying a prolonged shutdown could have serious negative impacts on people's health and the health of the economy.

 

Asked whether college students can feel safe if classes resume on campuses in late August or early September, Fauci said that expecting a treatment or vaccine to be in place by then would be "a bridge too far."

 

Instead, schools and students would have to depend upon expanded testing for coronavirus, tracing of those who have been in contact with infected people and safe hygiene practices, witnesses said.

 

The COVID-19 respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus has infected more than 1.3 million Americans and killed more than 80,600.

 

Fauci, 79, testified remotely in a room lined with books as he self-quarantines after he may have come into contact with either of two members of the White House staff who were diagnosed with COVID-19. He noted that he may go to the White House if needed.

 

Medical researchers have been scrambling to find not only an effective vaccine for coronavirus but also drugs to treat it until a vaccine comes to market.

 

Fauci noted only "modest" results in tests of Gilead Sciences Inc's remdesivir drug on hospitalized patients.

 

"All roads back to work and back to school run through testing and that what our country has done so far on testing is impressive, but not nearly enough," Lamar Alexander, the Republican chairman of the Senate committee, told the hearing.

 

Alexander, who is self-quarantining in his home state of Tennessee for 14 days after a member of his staff tested positive, chaired the hearing virtually.

 

Trump, who previously made the strength of the economy central to his pitch for his November re-election, has encouraged states to reopen businesses that had been deemed non-essential amid the pandemic.

 

Senator Patty Murray, the senior committee Democrat, criticizing aspects of the administration's response to the pandemic, said Americans "need leadership, they need a plan, they need honesty and they need it now, before we reopen."

 

Republican Senator Mitt Romney, who has clashed with Trump in the past, did so again on Tuesday, when he said during the hearing, "I find our testing record nothing to celebrate whatsoever."

 

On Monday, Trump held a news conference in the White House Rose Garden flanked by a banner declaring "America leads the world in testing."

 

(Reporting by Richard Cowan, Makini Brice, Doina Chiacu and Tim Ahmann; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-05-13

 

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[simple1]

Will trump attack Fauci?

[impulse]

Easy for him to say...  He's still on the payroll.  And likely to make additional $ millions in what would have been termed "conflicts of interest" just a few presidents ago.

 

He's not going to lose his business, or get evicted or foreclosed on.

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by impulse

[Slosheroni]

The amount of stupid in the US is astonishing.  Nobody keeps their distance. Nobody wears a mask.  People still shake hands. And yet the amount of armchair epidemiologists is through the roof.  These are the same Einsteins who went to a packed restaurant on Mother's Day just to show how tough they are.  Then, they complain about restrictions????   If anyone had common sense they'd be able to open and keep the virus from surging again.  Maybe this is all evolution. 

[alfalfa19]

52 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Will trump attack Fauci?

 

52 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Will trump attack Fauci?

i'm surprised he hasn't already.. i was pondering that while reading the article.  

[alfalfa19]

15 minutes ago, Slosheroni said:

The amount of stupid in the US is astonishing.  Nobody keeps their distance. Nobody wears a mask.  People still shake hands. And yet the amount of armchair epidemiologists is through the roof.  These are the same Einsteins who went to a packed restaurant on Mother's Day just to show how tough they are.  Then, they complain about restrictions????   If anyone had common sense they'd be able to open and keep the virus from surging again.  Maybe this is all evolution. 

natural selection at work

[Mama Noodle]

The only place it says "Needless" suffering and death is in the headline. 

 

Fauci's actual quote is:

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"There is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control and, in fact paradoxically, will set you back, not only leading to some suffering and death that could be avoided, but could even set you back on the road to try to get economic recovery,"

 

Everyone knows this already as well. Nothing new. But staying locked down indefinitely is not an option. 

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, simple1 said:

Will trump attack Fauci?

Very sadly, he/his close team will find some nefarious twist to belittle the good Dr. Fauci and therefore insist he go, quickly. Sad.  

[simple1]

8 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

The only place it says "Needless" suffering and death is in the headline. 

 

Fauci's actual quote is:

 

 

Everyone knows this already as well. Nothing new. But staying locked down indefinitely is not an option. 

"could be avoided' meaning unnecessary suffering and death. Many dying  or suffering from Covid experience a terrible death / recovery process. 

 

Don't recall anyone claiming the lock down should be for an unlimited amount of time. Excepting trump with his 'liberate' nonsense, health professionals are saying adhere to the agree guidelines.

[scorecard]

20 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

The only place it says "Needless" suffering and death is in the headline. 

 

Fauci's actual quote is:

 

 

Everyone knows this already as well. Nothing new. But staying locked down indefinitely is not an option. 

Does your quote include everything the good Dr. said or are you selecting some of his words/sentences?

[Mama Noodle]

3 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Does your quote include everything the good Dr. said or are you selecting some of his words/sentences?

 

My quote is from the OP, which includes the quotation marks around the good Dr's statements which indicate a direct quote from him - which is how quotation marks work. 

 

[Mama Noodle]

14 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Don't recall anyone claiming the lock down should be for an unlimited amount of time. Excepting trump with his 'liberate' nonsense, health professionals are saying adhere to the agree guidelines.

 

The virus isn't going away until herd immunity (if possible) or a vaccine (if possible) so if by those 2 metrics you mean not an unlimited amount of time, then yeah you're right. 

 

But the opposite of strangling the economy and printing trillions of dollars to prop it up is not scaleable or possible until that happens. 

The risk is well known, and we have to manage it and move forward. 

[Tug]

Well I don’t know about you but I and my family will do our level best to follow safe protocols as dr Fauci has recommended imo another week or 2 of lockdown massive testing and tracing would have been appropriate it would indeed save lives and misery

[Boon Mee]

The Democrats are going to go for lockdowns for as long as possible to further crush the economy and push for cheat-by-mail voting. 

LA County for example is on lockdown to August now. 

Simply ludicrous... 

[Mama Noodle]

1 minute ago, Boon Mee said:

The Democrats are going to go for lockdowns for as long as possible to further crush the economy and push for cheat-by-mail voting. 

 

Patently obvious at this point. Pelosi is even pushing for as much in her new, highly partisan, 3 trillion 'stimulus' bill. Even goes as far as "preventing identification requirement as condition of obtaining ballots"

 

Turds. 

[Henryford]

So he doesn't think that being out of work for months, maybe years, will not cause suffering and death.

[Yinn]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

premature lifting of lockdowns could lead to additional outbreaks of the deadly coronavirus,

Could? 

Will. Sure. 

[soalbundy]

It is a very complicated situation which needs competent experts both medical and economic giving good considered advice to a competent administration who will follow that advice. The competent experts are out there but as far as a competent administration is concerned.....well let us just say if there is a bad way Trump will choose it.

[Puchaiyank]

This guy, Fauci, has changed his positions more often than a Pattaya freelancer...shotgunning the virus...hoping something will stick and he can play the role of hero...

[Vigilante]

Early end to U.S. state lockdowns could cause needless 'suffering and death

 

...whereas late re-opening will also cause 'needless suffering and death'

In the form of suicides, increased drug/alcohol consumption etc etc

 

Have you  noticed that eventually EVERYTHING becomes a Left vs Right issue?

Dems=long lockdowns    GOP=limited or no lockdowns

 

A divorce is coming..

[simple1]

1 hour ago, Mama Noodle said:

<SNIP> The risk is well known, and we have to manage it and move forward. 

So why does trump constantly contradict guidance from his Covid task force. Appears to be primarily politically motivated attacks on Dem governors to the detriment of US citizens safety. trump loves to use the term 'traitor' / 'scum'; one wonders why he doesn't practise in front of a mirror to reflect on his hypocrisy.

 

[Mama Noodle]

6 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Appears to be primarily politically motivated attacks on Dem governors to the detriment of US citizens safety.

 

Uh, because they are wholly justified, and those attacks flow both ways. 

 

Cuomo is directly responsible for over 5,000 deaths in elderly homes due to his early executive orders, as a very valid example that you either don't know about or refuse to acknowledge. 

[Winky Wilson]

Easy to say when you already own the patents to all the major virus vaccines and share your interests with your buddy who heads the CDC. If you think Thai corruption is bad. These guys running and leading the major health organizations In the United States make corruption in Thailand look like a bad shoe salesman on Leave it to Beaver. 

[mrfill]

1 hour ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

The virus isn't going away until herd immunity (if possible) or a vaccine (if possible) so if by those 2 metrics you mean not an unlimited amount of time, then yeah you're right. 

 

But the opposite of strangling the economy and printing trillions of dollars to prop it up is not scaleable or possible until that happens. 

The risk is well known, and we have to manage it and move forward. 

Keep an eye on Brazil where stable genius #2 Bolsonaro has said the spread of the virus is 'inevitable'. Which is quite likely as he is on a herd immunity trip. 886 deaths today and their health system expecting the figure to rise for 6-8 weeks and to overwhelm the health system. 

 

When asked by journalists last week about the rapidly increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases, he responded: “So what? What do you want me to do?” https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31095-3/fulltext

[simple1]

19 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

Uh, because they are wholly justified, and those attacks flow both ways. 

 

Cuomo is directly responsible for over 5,000 deaths in elderly homes due to his early executive orders, as a very valid example that you either don't know about or refuse to acknowledge. 

I'm aware of the criticism of Cuomo with his handling of the nursing homes, but this topic is in reference to the trump administration. Accordingly how many Covid deaths would you estimate trump is responsible for with his many errors of judgement or do you concur with trump he has no responsibility whatsoever for his mistakes.

[Mama Noodle]

6 minutes ago, simple1 said:

I'm aware of the criticism of Cuomo with his handling of the nursing homes, but this topic is in reference to the trump administration. Accordingly how many Covid deaths would you estimate trump is responsible for with his many errors of judgement or do you concur with trump he has no responsibility whatsoever for his mistakes.

Then why did you bring it up if you want to deflect back to the “thread topic” when you have to face valid criticism. 

[fvw53]

QUOTE
In one of the more tense moments of Tuesday’s hearing, Paul – the only U.S. senator to have had a confirmed case of COVID-19 – said the public health response to the pandemic has been riddled with “wrong prediction after wrong prediction” and that Fauci should not be the one making decisions on issues outside his purview.
UNQUOTE

 

Rand Paul is an ophthalmologist....so he knows something about medical problems and ....about drinking disinfectants.   

He is right about WRONG PREDICTION AFTER WRONG PREDICTION.....but who was the idiot who made them?

1. the coranavirus is a hoax

2. it is just a normal flu and it will blow over when temperatures rise

3. with Easter of churches will be full

In some of the most infamous instances, Trump predicted on February 26 that the number of COVID-19 infections in the US "within a couple of days is going to be down close to zero,

[Isaan sailor]

2 hours ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

Patently obvious at this point. Pelosi is even pushing for as much in her new, highly partisan, 3 trillion 'stimulus' bill. Even goes as far as "preventing identification requirement as condition of obtaining ballots"

 

Turds. 

I don’t follow Nancy Pelosi’s remarks too much, as I have little access to CNN (thankfully).  However, I do recall Nancy in her densely packed entourage last February 24th in SanFran’s Chinatown.  She  claimed people discriminated against the local businesses.  She also told us Wuhan virus did not pose a problem—and we should all come there and patronize.  

Glad I didn’t take her advice.

[Srikcir]

'Unnecessary suffering and death'

Trump has previously addressed such scenario with 'It is what it is.'

 

[Eric Loh]

4 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

I don’t follow Nancy Pelosi’s remarks too much, as I have little access to CNN (thankfully).  However, I do recall Nancy in her densely packed entourage last February 24th in SanFran’s Chinatown.  She  claimed people discriminated against the local businesses.  She also told us Wuhan virus did not pose a problem—and we should all come there and patronize.  

Glad I didn’t take her advice.

Nancy took her cue from what Trump said from January.

Jan 22 - we have a plan and will be handled very well. We have things under control

Jan 24 - China working very hard to contain the virus. It will work out well

Feb 7 - with warmer weather, virus becomes weaker and then gone

Feb 10 - I had long talk with Xi and he feels very confident. By April, the heat, kills this kind of virus.

Feb 23 - situation is very much under control