Monday, March 9, 2020

111,354/3892. Stock market really crashing. Even though we are saying that 1.1 million tests are out there, and millions (4 mill this week) to follow, we still do not know how many tests have been performed and whether anyone can get a test who needs it. hate to say it, but some incompetence at CDC/FDA. We are geeting killed publicly by this vulnerability. Am now told by CDC that we only have 1 million nasal swabs to collect the specimens. And so now we have more tests than swabs! And the limiting factor is the swabs. Gov. Cuomo calls me up and asks my advice on whether to close schools in the orthodox Jewish section of Westchester where they have 90 cases (more than rest of NYC). I tell him yes. He also asks about closing subways. I tell him not yet, but let us stay tuned. I will push for more surveillance testing. Lab Corps and Quest On phone call with VP and all the Govenors. I talk about protecting the vulmerables with co-morbidities, particularly among the elderly I bring Cliff into the group on an almost fulltime basis. Cases in 35 states. >500 cases with 22 deaths Priority 1 is to get people off the Grand Princess. Had press conference. POTUS came. Had good conversation with him. He is getting very crummy with me. I sarcastically answered one of the persistent questions about the cruise ship issue by saying I personally would never get on a cruise ship. PRESS: CNN New Day with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman; FOX and Friends.