Thursday, April 16, 2020

Global – 2,000,000/125,000; USA – 640,000/32,000. Today is day when newe Guidelines for re-opening will be announced. I was shocked last night when she e-mailed me and said that all my edits had been accepted by the “Comms people”. However, they wanted to take out the part about recommending masks. I wrote back (see bold below): Okay. Great. If we explicitly say follow CDC guidelines regarding use of masks and use during mass transit, then I cannot see how there can be any objection. From: Birx, Deborah L. EOP/NSC <Deborah.L.Birx@nsc.eop.gov> Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2020 9:52 PM To: Fauci, Anthony (NIH/NIAID) [E] <afauci@niaid.nih.gov> Subject: Re: WH Comms kept all of our words Haven’t done rebound yet. Will do early am. Pushing back on mask saying follow cdc guidance and wear during mass transit. Sent from my iPhone On Apr 15, 2020, at 9:49 PM, Fauci, Anthony (NIH/NIAID) [E] <afauci@niaid.nih.gov> wrote: We should push back a bit on the masks. I think that it is important. Since when do comms people dictate public health suggestions? Walk out of the streets and people are wearing them anyway. We should be on board with them. I would be happy to do that tomorrow. We are meeting with the VP tomorrow morning. Can you arrange for you and I to meet with the relevant person so I can give it a pitch? Also, let me see the part that I did not see regarding what one does when rebound of virus occurs in the midst of a diminution of current mitigation. Thanks, Tony From: Birx, Deborah L. EOP/NSC <Deborah.L.Birx@nsc.eop.gov> Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2020 9:43 PM To: Fauci, Anthony (NIH/NIAID) [E] <afauci@niaid.nih.gov> Subject: WH Comms kept all of our words Except took out the mask in public – kept all the thresholds. What do you think? I am OK if covered in CDC guidelines I guess. Deb …………………………………………………………………………………………………. In private conversation with Marc Short, I explained to him my concern about being brought into the writing of the guidelines that they wanted me to endorce, and yet I only saw them for the first time last night. Marc said that Deb told him she had run them by me and Bob Redfield. Bob said that the first time he saw them was last night. I gently confronted Deb with this and she garbled an embarrassed response. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) called my cell concerned about whether his state is ready to re-open. His consitutuents are frightened about coming out since they realize there is no treatment and they could die from the disease. Worked on the guidelines a bit and now got them right. POTUS, VP Deb and I presented these at the Presser. Generally well-received, everyone still fixated on the issues with testing After my Laursa Ingraham hit, Jake Tapper (CNN) texted me saying sarcastically: “Hard to beliee Paura Ingraham went to Dartmouth, isn’t it. All of us alumni are very proud. Also, if I did not mention it above, I now have OIG security portal to portal car with armed guards. Still getting death threats and obscene calls to my daughters and Chris. US Marshalls going after these idiots. DC Police continually patrolling my home. PRESS: White House Press Conference releasing :Opening Up America Again” guidelkines; FOX TV Laura Ingraham.