Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine, masks: 'He was confused'

[webfact]

Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine, masks: 'He was confused'

By Manas Mishra, Carl O'Donnell and Alexandra Alper

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield holds up a CDC document that reads "COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations" as he speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing "Review of Coronavirus Response Efforts" on Capitol Hill, Washington, U.S., September 16, 2020. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS

 

(Reuters) - President Donald Trump took exception on Wednesday to comments from the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who said a vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be broadly rolled out in mid-2021 and that masks might be even more effective.

 

Robert Redfield, in testimony to a congressional committee, said that general availability of a vaccine could come by "late second quarter, third quarter 2021."

 

Trump, at a news conference, said he believed a vaccine will be rolled out much sooner. He said he called Redfield after his testimony to question him about it, and that Redfield appeared to have been confused by the question.

 

"I think he made a mistake when he said that," Trump said of Redfield's testimony. "I don't think he means that. When he said it, I believe he was confused."

 

U.S. President Donald Trump predicted on Wednesday at least 100 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine could be distributed in by the end of 2020, contradicting U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, who Trump dismissed as confused.

 

Trump said a vaccine may be available in a matter of weeks and that there was a plan to begin distributing it widely soon after the Food and Drug Administration approves it. Trump is eager to have progress on a vaccine ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.

 

Several companies are in late-stage trials of a vaccine and have expressed optimism, but none of the vaccines are yet proven to be effective and safe.

 

Trump also criticized Redfield for saying wearing a mask can be just as effective as a vaccine. Trump was initially reluctant to urge Americans to wear masks but has since been more willing to do so. Still, he has held a number of tightly packed events where many participants have not covered their mouth and nose.

 

"Number one, it's not more effective than a vaccine and I called him about that," Trump said.

 

On Twitter late on Wednesday, Redfield said he believed "100%" in the importance of a vaccine. "A COVID-19 vaccine is the thing that will get Americans back to normal everyday life," he said.

 

Despite quibbling with Redfield, Trump said he retained confidence in his performance at the CDC.

 

Redfield, who is a member of Trump's coronavirus task force, did say that a vaccine could be ready as soon as this November or December, and that limited first doses could go to those who were most vulnerable, but that it might take until mid-2021 for it to be widely available.

 

"As soon as (a) vaccine gets approved or cleared, we want to be in a position to distribute it within 24 hours," Redfield told the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

 

But "in order to have enough of us immunized to have immunity, I think it’s going to take six to nine months," he added.

 

The federal government will allocate vaccines for each state based on the critical populations recommended first for vaccination by the U.S. CDC.

 

(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru, Carl O' Donnell in New York, Alexandra Alper in Washington; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli, Shounak Dasgupta and Maju Samuel)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-09-17

 

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[stevenl]

Sure Trump knows better, after all he is living in his own dreamworld.

[J Town]

45 supporters aren't part of a cult of personality just because they deny the evidence of their eyes and ears and regard the obvious fabrications of their leader as facts and never express doubts or question beliefs from family and friends - oh wait, that's exactly a cult of personality.

 

When you believe ONE MAN above Science, above Intelligence agencies, above former CIA directors, retired generals and revered journalists - when you believe that one man above even your own eyes and ears - you are fully indoctrinated.

[pmarlin]

Thar CDC guy said a mask protects better than a vaccine. He sounds confused to me.

[pegman]

11 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Sure Trump knows better, after all he is living in his own dreamworld.

Remember when he stated he knew better than all the generals? Even though he avoided the draft when it was his turn to serve. Now he knows better than the scientists. The man is obviously delusional. He  should follow the lead of his HHS spokesman and seek  immediate mental health treatment. Come to think of it his delusional supporters should do the same. 

[J Town]

4 minutes ago, pmarlin said:

Thar CDC guy said a mask protects better than a vaccine. He sounds confused to me.

That's sarcasm, yes?

[Berkshire]

6 minutes ago, J Town said:

45 supporters aren't part of a cult of personality just because they deny the evidence of their eyes and ears and regard the obvious fabrications of their leader as facts and never express doubts or question beliefs from family and friends - oh wait, that's exactly a cult of personality.

 

When you believe ONE MAN above Science, above Intelligence agencies, above former CIA directors, retired generals and revered journalists - when you believe that one man above even your own eyes and ears - you are fully indoctrinated.

More like brainwashed.  But once Trump is voted out-of-office in Nov, the deprogramming can begin.  Some in his cult, of course, may be beyond hope.  But a crazy old man without the power of the presidency is just a crazy old man.  It will be sad and pathetic to watch Trump post-presidency.

[J Town]

Just now, Berkshire said:

But a crazy old man without the power of the presidency is just a crazy old man.

That's actually questionable. A great fear is that this crazy old man will continue on with his own agenda, his own "news" group, and the koolaid gang may continue brainwashed adulation.

[worgeordie]

31 minutes ago, webfact said:

"I think he made a mistake when he said that," Trump said of Redfield's testimony. "I don't think he means that. When he said it, I believe he was confused."

Says Trump............unlike Trump ,maybe Redfield cannot tell a lie.

regards Worgeordie

[J Town]

3 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Says Trump............unlike Trump ,maybe Redfield cannot tell a lie.

regards Worgeordie

Dr. Redfield followed up both under oath in a statement to the Senate AND on Twitter (maybe 45 say that as well?) contradicting the guy sitting behind the resolute desk. They're really gonna have to give that historical piece of furniture a thorough delousing next year.

[Poet]

At this stage, who isn't confused?
 

[nakornpingpong]

3 minutes ago, Poet said:

At this stage, who isn't confused?
 

People who see through Trump's bluster. That's who.

[Poet]

1 minute ago, nakornpingpong said:

People who see through Trump's bluster. That's who.

We're not talking about being confused about Trump. We are talking about being confused about the C-19 guidance.

Not everything has to be turned into a political attack.

 

[Morch]

6 minutes ago, Poet said:

We're not talking about being confused about Trump. We are talking about being confused about the C-19 guidance.

Not everything has to be turned into a political attack.

 

 

But this topic is exactly about Trump's words, sowing further confusion regarding Covid-19.

 

Not everything has to be turned into defense of the President or whitewashing his failures.

[heybruce]

18 minutes ago, Poet said:

We're not talking about being confused about Trump. We are talking about being confused about the C-19 guidance.

Not everything has to be turned into a political attack.
 

What's confusing about it?

 

We now know that Covid 19 is a virus primarily transmitted by air, and that masks greatly reduce the transmission of the virus.

 

Vaccines are rarely (never?) 100% effective, but those that are approved greatly increase resistance to disease, and thus reduce transmission.

 

A widely used vaccine that is only 50% effective at preventing Covid 19 infection, combined with masks that are known to reduce transmission of Covid 19,  will reduce infection and death to a small fraction of what it is now.

 

Or, to put it very simply; use masks for now, and a combination of vaccinations and masks later.

 

Anyone more open minded and intelligent than Trump can understand that. 

[simple1]

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Sure Trump knows better, after all he is living in his own dreamworld.

 

 

 

Reminds me of the saying 'lunatic running the asylum'. trump's doing ridiculous conspiracy stuff nearly every day, it only serves to underline trump's unfit to represent the Office of the President of the USA. e.g. the latest trump retweets.

 

Trump has retweeted a post claiming Joe Biden was a pedophile and a doctored video falsely showing the Democratic nominee playing the N.W.A. song “F—k Tha Police” (he was actually playing reggaeton hit and Zumba standby ‘Despacito’).

 

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/trump-pushed-qanon-conspiracy-retweeting-hashtag-pedobiden-2020-9?r=US&IR=T

 

Probably some trump supporter will come along trying to justify trumps behaviour - astonishing trump actually has people who will vote for a second term for him.

 

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, pegman said:

The man is obviously delusional. He  should follow the lead of his HHS spokesman and seek  immediate mental health treatment.

The fact that trump is stupid is now very plain to see, although it's been clear enough for those who are not part of this cult, and this latest huge lie of his makes me wonder if he really is sane........

 

President Donald Trump denied Tuesday that he downplayed the threat of the coronavirus that has taken more than 195,000 lives in the United States, directly contradicting his own recorded words in which he admitted doing exactly that. And then he proceeded to downplay the pandemic even further.

It's out there for all to see that he was clearly downplaying the effect of the coronavirus early on in the piece, saying that it was just restricted to a few people and that it would go away by April, but now he's denying he even said that, when it's out there on record.

 

If you elect a clown, you get a circus, and that's what the majority of the poor suffering US folk are having to put up with. So sad.

[Tug]

8 minutes ago, Poet said:

We're not talking about being confused about Trump. We are talking about being confused about the C-19 guidance.

Not everything has to be turned into a political attack.

 

Oh it’s not political trump is getting people killed he is knowingly holding mass rallies during the pandemic with full knowledge of how lethal covid 19 is its willful negligence and dereliction of the potus oath of office the good doctor isent confused neither is trump

[stevenl]

14 minutes ago, Poet said:

We're not talking about being confused about Trump. We are talking about being confused about the C-19 guidance.

Not everything has to be turned into a political attack.

 

Trump has made this political.

 

A bit of common sense and listening to guidelines makes things clear. Nobody needs to be confused, it is not mid March anymore.

[Poet]

11 minutes ago, heybruce said:

 

Or, to put it very simply; use masks for now, and a combination of vaccination and masks later.

I have been wearing masks and avoiding enclosed spaces right since the start of this thing, and will get a vaccine if an effective one becomes available, but have watched in amazement as the official advice has changed practically every month. Don't forget that we were told, by the highest medical authority just a few months ago, to not wear masks.

I agree that, now, the advice seems to have settled a bit but suspect we will see yet more iterations. Most of the masks I see people wearing are woefully inadequate, many seem unable to wear them correctly, no one seems to mention that airbourne droplets can also enter via your eyes, and I cannot see how a distance of six feet does anything much if the main vector of transmission is droplets that hang in the air for 20 minutes.

Just to be clear, I'm not claiming to know what the best approach is, but the officials are clearly winging it too.

 

[rvaviator]

1 hour ago, J Town said:

45 supporters aren't part of a cult of personality just because they deny the evidence of their eyes and ears and regard the obvious fabrications of their leader as facts and never express doubts or question beliefs from family and friends - oh wait, that's exactly a cult of personality.

 

When you believe ONE MAN above Science, above Intelligence agencies, above former CIA directors, retired generals and revered journalists - when you believe that one man above even your own eyes and ears - you are fully indoctrinated.

You could possibly make a case that the country who has a big red flag could not a have done a better job creating true followers ....

[Morch]

2 minutes ago, Poet said:

I have been wearing masks and avoiding enclosed spaces right since the start of this thing, but have watched in amazement as the official advice has changed practically every month. Don't forget that we were told, by the highest medical authority just a few months ago, not to wear masks.

I agree that, now, the advice seems to have settled a bit but I suspect we are yet to see more iterations. Most of the masks I see people wearing are woefully ineffective, many seem unable to wear them correctly, no one seems to mention that airbourne droplets can also enter via your eyes, and I cannot see how a distance of six feet does anything much if the main vector of transmission is droplets that hang in the air for 20 minutes.

Just to be clear, I'm not claiming to know what the best approach is, but the officials are clearly winging it too.

 

 

They are not "winging it". They change recommendations according to new information. Most of what's communicated to the public by medical authorities is actually pretty consistent. The President, on the other hand, routinely makes up stuff, picks up and broadcasts bits of doubtful "science", pushes for all sorts of magic cures and solutions - then criticizes professionals or claims they are confused etc.

[Surelynot]

1 hour ago, Berkshire said:

More like brainwashed.  But once Trump is voted out-of-office in Nov, the deprogramming can begin.  Some in his cult, of course, may be beyond hope.  But a crazy old man without the power of the presidency is just a crazy old man.  It will be sad and pathetic to watch Trump post-presidency.

That is going to be one hell of a deprogramme......I hope it is at least partially successful

[heybruce]

4 minutes ago, Poet said:

I have been wearing masks and avoiding enclosed spaces right since the start of this thing, but have watched in amazement as the official advice has changed practically every month. Don't forget that we were told, by the highest medical authority just a few months ago, not to wear masks.

I agree that, now, the advice seems to have settled a bit but I suspect we are yet to see more iterations. Most of the masks I see people wearing are woefully ineffective, many seem unable to wear them correctly, no one seems to mention that airbourne droplets can also enter via your eyes, and I cannot see how a distance of six feet does anything much if the main vector of transmission is droplets that hang in the air for 20 minutes.

Just to be clear, I'm not claiming to know what the best approach is, but the officials are clearly winging it too.

 

I agree that many of the masks worn are not nearly as good as they should be, and many people don't wear them correctly.  That is not an argument against masks, but an argument for better quality masks that are worn properly.

 

While advice was changing frequently six to seven months ago, it has been pretty consistent from qualified medical experts and scientists for the last three months.  That's not surprising; seven months ago everyone was low on the learning curve, now the experts have a much better handle on the basics of transmission. 

 

From this point on I expect the only changes regarding wearing a mask will be emphasis on wearing it properly and changing to better quality masks. 

[J Town]

The five best ways to beat this thing:

 

1. Wash hands frequently

2. Wear a mask

3. Don't listen to 45

4. Avoid touching your face

4. Cough into your sleeve

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

27 minutes ago, heybruce said:

What's confusing about it?

 

We now know that Covid 19 is a virus primarily transmitted by air, and that masks greatly reduce the transmission of the virus.

 

Vaccines are rarely (never?) 100% effective, but those that are approved greatly increase resistance to disease, and thus reduce transmission.

 

A widely used vaccine that is only 50% effective at preventing Covid 19 infection, combined with masks that are known to reduce transmission of Covid 19,  will reduce infection and death to a small fraction of what it is now.

 

Or, to put it very simply; use masks for now, and a combination of vaccinations and masks later.

 

Anyone more open minded and intelligent than Trump can understand that. 

 

That's exactly the points Redfield was talking about in his congressional testimony. He knew exactly what he was saying, regardless of how he now ends up having to toady to Trump in the aftermath.

 

But it goes beyond that, Trump and Co. have so politicized the whole CV issue and vaccine review process that there will be a good chunk of the U.S. population who won't want to be vaccinated for CV, especially early on.

 

There's already a substantial (but loopy) all-purpose anti-vaccine movement in the U.S. based on conspiracy theories and pseudoscience. But now add to that group all the folks who might rightly believe that Trump and Co. will try to push out something and anything in a timeframe designed to aid his reelection campaign, regardless of whether a legitimate, impartial review would find it safe.

 

Add those two groups together with the issue that this vaccine is likely to have only a certain less than 100% level of effectiveness and an unknown duration of effectiveness.... And people in the U.S. are likely going to be needing to wear masks for quite some time to come.

 

[Bluespunk]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

I think he made a mistake when he said that," Trump said of Redfield's testimony. "I don't think he means that. When he said it, I believe he was confused."

You don't think trump, you just say whatever fits your current bs agenda.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

19 minutes ago, J Town said:

The five best ways to beat this thing:

 

1. Wash hands frequently

2. Wear a mask

3. Don't listen to 45

4. Avoid touching your face

4. Cough into your sleeve

 

+ social distancing...

[Poet]

24 minutes ago, heybruce said:

From this point on I expect the only changes regarding wearing a mask will be emphasis on wearing it properly and changing to better quality masks. 

I have a strong hunch that eye protection - actual goggles, not those useless visors - is going to become the next focus of attention.

It may also turn out that certain categories of air purifier make a big difference.


 

[Sujo]

How could anyone be confused. Its not rocket science.

 

do wear a mask

do social distance

do sanitize your hands

 

do not inject bleach