A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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Jan. 23, 2020 - China shuts down public transportation in 3 additional smaller cities - Huanggang, Ezhou and Chibi. After 2nd Advisory Committee meeting WHO still does not declare PHEIC. Very controversial decision. They are getting some criticism about this. On several of the media that I did (see below) I was asked my opinion of this. I said I did not want to outguess the WHO and demurred. Press still heavy. Did FOX Business TV (Varney and Company); FOX News (Sandra Smith); CBS Radio;Shanghai Media TV via Skype; Politico (Sarah Owermohle); Shanghai Media TV; Science News print; CNN Newsroom (clip shown by Sanjay Gupta); FOX News Rundown (Radio); COX Media TV; John Catsimatidis Radio Show - Cats Roundtable; CNBC Asia Squawk Box; BBC radio; FOX Business News (Lou Dobbs);Canadian Broadcasting System (Kelly Crowe).
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January 23, 2020 - Global - 97,000,000/2,000,000; USA - 24,700,000/413,000 PRESS: Vaccine Town Hall with Ebro Darden & Kizzy Corbett; MSNBC with Alex Witt; Interview with Donald McNeil for the New York Times on my experience with the Trump administration; MSNBC "Politics Nation" with Rev. Al Sharpton; Stat: The 10 Biden officials to watch on the Covid-19 response By R A C H E L C O H R S @rachelcohrs J A N U A R Y 2 1 , 2 0 2 1 ; USA -- 25,000,000/4 16,000 as -25,000,000/418,000 25,200,000/420,000 ff. She and I did a PSA
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Jan. 24, 2020 - More cities shut down by the Chinese. Now >800 cases and 26 deaths. State Department issued Level 4 (no travel at all) for Wuhan. Had meeting at EEOB381 (Anthony's office) to discuss the evolving siautaion with 2019-nCoV. Derek Kan (Deputy Director, OMB) was there with other OMB folks to determine what the budgetary needs would be for our response. I will put together some budget numbers. I was supposed to be on this coming weekend (it is now Friday) This Week With George Stephanopoulos and Face the Nation; however, these were bumped because of impeachment trial that is onging. Call from Lena Sun (Washington Post) trying to verify (I said I knew nothing of this) that people in the USG were saying that the Chinese got to Tedros to convince him not to declare a PHEIC since it would harm their reputation. I told her that was nonsense and I probably stopped her from writing the story. She said since I am in all the important meetings that I would know. CNBC Squawk Box; CBS Radio New York; Massive press interactions prior to and after my briefing of the Senators; Clip of me on CBS This Morning from the briefing
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Jan. 25, 2020 - now more than1400 cases and 42 deaths. President Xi Jinping essentially sutting down the entire country. Schools closing in Beijing. Suspicion that the Chinese are telling us everything that is going on in China. Why are the Chinese reacting so dramatically by essentially shutting down the entire country? State Department evacuating all USA personnel from consulate in WUHAN New York Times interview; CNN International
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2020-01-26 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
Jan. 26, 2020 - GAME ON!!! Things are changing rapidly. Dr. Ma Xiaowei, the Chinese Minister of Health gave a press statement saying that the incubationperiod of nCoV is 1 to 14 days and that the virus is being transmitted when people are asymptomatic! This has enormous implications for how we handle people from Wuhan (like our diplomats who are now on the way back from WUHAN, having been ordered to evaculate). Should we quarantine them. I am very skeptical about the Chinese interprepation of their data. I spoke with Mike Ryan (WHO) from Geneva and he and Tedros are going to Wuhan soon. Mike is very skeptical that aymptomatic spread is present or at worst is a major driver of spread. Mike Osterholm also feels this way. I spoke with Nancy Messonnier and Bob Redfield this AM to coordinate our responses. Bob and I feel (and I told Elizabeth Cohen this) that we should be allowed to send our CDC epidemiologists to China to work with them so that we see the data first hand since we will base important response activities and strategies based on whether this is true. It would require our quarantining for a period of time even asymptomatic people who arrive from Wuhan. It now appears using epi data and genomic data that the first infection was in early December and was not connected to the market. The infections spread among people weeks before the Chinese reported that they were dealing with a new infection and that gave the virus time to establish itself in multigenerational (sustained) spread. Remember, early on the Chinese were saying that there is no human to human transmission and all the original 27 cases were from the market. Now we know the market was not the source, it was the amplifier. Having said that, somewhere the virus jumped from animals to humans. There is complete chaos in China now with president Xi Jinping declaring an emergency situation. The Chinese are building within days 1000 and 1300 bed hospitals and flying in hundreds of medical personnel from military. They have shut down travel within most of the country and have called off many Lunar New Year events. Schools closed at least until mid-February. Running out of supplies such as PPE. Had 8:00 PM call with Anthony Ruggiero, Phil Ferro, and Bob Redfield about the evolving situation. The deputiers and White House are pushing to close the borders for any traffic from China. Bob and I are against that. Anthony said that he heard that I wa in favor of that. Will have 11:00 AM meeting tomorrow from SCIF with Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger regarding possibly closing borders from China entry. iltiple important non-corona-virus CNN phone interview with Elizabeth Cohen; CBC Canadian TV; CNN with Fredricka Whitfield (cancelled because of tragic accidental death of Kob Bryant in helicopter crash in LA); NewsHour from UK
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January 26, 2020 - Global - 99,000,000/2,100,000; USA - 25,200,000/420,000 VP Harris visited NIH for her booster shot with Husband Greg Emhoff. She and I did a PSA together. Had moving conversation with Moncef Slaoui who felt that the Biden people were discrediting and bad-mouthing OWS that Moncef led. In fact, Moncef did a fabulous job in getting 2 vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer) approved (EUA) that are highly efficacious with other candidates (Janssen, AZ, Novavax) not far behind. He feels badly for the OWS team and for himself. I told him that he has done a fabulous and historic job in what he accomplished. I told him that to me and many others, he is a hero. He was very touched by the conversation. e Got on my usual Tuesday evening Zoom call with health officials throughout the country (Hosted by David Barr) and asked question of what the problem was with doses of vaccine. Was it that we had doses but could not logistically get them into the arms of people OR was it that the demand far outstripped the supply. Overwhelmingly they said that there was not enough supply. Group was: Sharon Balter (LA), Jeff Duchin (Seattle), Jennifer Avegno (NOLA), Allison Arwady (Chicago), La Quandra Nesbitt (DC), Marci Layton (NYC) PRESS: FOX America's Newsroom with Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer; NBC TV Special with Richard Engel; fue ---- THE WASHINGTON POS? DRAWING BOARD CLAY JONES Global USA about the development of the Moderna
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Jan. 27, 2020 - Packed day today. Council and multiple important non-corona-virus meetings. Busy day - two meeting with White House via SCIF. First at 11:00 AM led by Deputy Director NSC Matt Pottinger who still wants to stop all incoming from China. Bob Redfield, Phil Ferro, Mart Cetron, Peter Marks etc. Second White House meeting via SCIF was on same subject withMick Mulvaney Chairing and visit to meeting by VP Pence. Still discussing the pros and cons of shutting off China. I tried to squeeze in my opinion, but it was touch since I was remote. I briefed Azar beforehand by phone as to the down side (historically) in shutting out a country. Also at the meeting were Joe Grogan, Matt Pottinger, Alex Azar, DHS Multiple print media including Washington Post, Maggie Fox, Los Angeles; NPR Morning Edition with Rachel Martin; WTOP radio; John LaPook with CBS - taped interview to run with face to face interview tomorrow with Norah O'Donnell; VOA; CNN International; Bret Baier FOX; WTOP again; Sean Hannity (FOX);
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January 27, 2020 - Global USA Really good relations developing with the WH Comms team led by Jen Psaki and particularly Courtney Rowe. Dramatic difference from Trump WH Comms Did "Fireside Chat" with NEJM - Eric Rubin and Lindsey Baden • 315 cases of the B.1.1.7 lineage (UK) in 28 states; RSA lineage B.1.351 is worrisome as it is evading mAbs and diminishing neutralizing caoacity of Abs from vaccines. Very important historical review in USA Today about the development of the Moderna vaccine: USA Today: Luck, foresight and science: How an unheralded team developed a COVID-19 vaccine in record time https://bit.ly/36i7ffM PRESS: White House Press Conference with Walensky, Fauci, Slavitt, and Zients; The Hill TV with Steve Clemons; Fox America Reports TV with John Roberts and Sandra Smith; PBS South Florida Town Hall; CNN Town Hall with Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper - on with Rochelle Walensky; Daily Beast: Dr. Fauci Shoots Down Fox News Host Bill Hemmer's Trump Questions 'READY TO MOVE ON' "It just seems like there's this aggressiveness toward the Trump administration," Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer pressed. Dr. Anthony Fauci wasn't having it. 5,500,000/428,000 ) results of their trials: Global USA Article in The Atlantic by Peter Nicholas - will clearly cause a stir: How Anthony Fauci Got Through the 'Bullshit' The new White House chief medical adviser reflects on the last year working for the Trump administration. Peter Nicholas FOX News: Fox News pundit Steve Hilton pushed a ridiculous conspiracy theory that Dr. Fauci is behind the coronavirus
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January 28, 2020 - Global - 100,200,000/2,200,000; USA - 25,500,000/428,000 Tedros called me up and aske me to help him connect with the Biden people, i.e. Sec Becerra, Jeff Zients, the VP, etc. Stewart Simonson willing to help me since I am ultra busy. Had confidential conversation with the Janssen people - Paul Stoffels et al about the Ad26 vaccine data. Not that great. 77% VE in USA and ~50% in RSA. Will get more details later. Data better against severe disease but this will be a messaging problem. Novavax and Janssen came out with their embargoed (until tomorrow) results of their trials: Novavax phase 3 in UK - 90% VE; Phase 2b in RSA - 50% VE. Janssen phase 3 in USA/RSA/Brazil - 72% VE at 28 days (a 1 dose vaccine); 85% VE against severe disease; 57% VE in mod/severe disease in RSA at 28 days and 88% VE with severe disease in RSA Much press activity and emphasis on the fact that antigenic variation has clinical consequences. Also, with both vaccines, good news for the global supply PRESS: Good Morning America (ABC) with George Stephanopoulos; NPR Morning Edition with Sarah McCammon;