A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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Nov. 22, 2021 - Global USA I had another very helpful conversation with my UK counterpart Chris Whitty discussing the upcoming challenges of the winter in the UK versus the USA. They are seeing a surge of cases similar to what we're seeing and they're seeing it even among vaccinated people underscores even more strongly need to boost everybody since boosters clearly protect better just the two doses. Got a call from Kathy Hochul - Governor of New York - She was asking for some help and support in her upcoming decision of reinstituting the indoor mask mandate for the state of New York. She wants to exclude New York City from this mandate since they are doing a good job of keeping their infections down. However, since the rest of the state is surging, she wants to make sure that she doesn't let the surge get even greater. I supported her and told her that that was the right thing to do and that she should distinguish New York City from the rest of the state even though it is likely that this is going to get a lot of Flack. PRESS: NPR "Morning Edition" with Steve Inskeep; MSNBC "Morning Joe"; CBS Mornings with Gayle King; Print interview with Alice Park of Time Magazine; ABC Australia TV - News Breakfast;
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November 22, 2021, 20:24 GMT Based on COVID-19 data, Dr. Fauci has provided the world with sound advice on preventing the virus from spreading, identified the importance of vaccinations, and advised on executing a plan for distributing COVID-19 vaccines. NBCI, along with Conversation's Newsletter (December 2020), agrees that Dr. Fauci was well-positioned to be the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. His preparedness stems from following from his possession of the following qualities: * Intelligence - He is brilliant and knowledgeable, with a background in science and humanities. * Integrity - He has said that he has a personal responsibility to make a positive impact on society. * Empathy - He has concern for others' well-being. * Flexibility - He can redirect his work as needed. * Energy - He has several meetings throughout the day that he attends and responds to emails daily. * Trustworthiness - He is credible through his research and publication. * Connections - He has been the adviser to seven U.S. presidents where his work has been covered by science reporters since the 1980s. * Communication - He is a clear communicator and listens before speaking. * Recognizability- He has a distinct name, voice, and look. * Team Building - He shares the importance of doing things as a team and being a part of a team. PRESS: PRI Radio - "The World"; Philadelphia Radio "Reality Check" with Charles Ellison; Univision TV with Andrea Linares; "The Grio" Online TV with April Ryan; CNN "AC360" with John Berman
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Nov. 23, 2021 - Global - 256,966,237/5,151,643; USA - 47,813,785/772,180 I continue to do the Governor's calls as well as the Principal's calls once a week. I do not comment on them regularly but each time Jeff asks me and Rochelle to give an update on the epidemiology and the latest science . For example, today I briefed the governors and the principals on the science behind the necessity for an the efficacy of boosters. Dr. Markey is trying to help us get money for the development of a universal coronavirus vaccine. See his letter: (11.23.21) NIAID Update on Universa Important interview with Ari Melber on MSNBC tonight where I hit back at criticisms by the far right particularly Ticker Carlson and Peter Navarro. It is a must to listen to: https://bit.ly/32j3EPg https://www.msnbc.com/the-beat-with-ari/watch/dr-fauci-tucker-carlson-s-personal-attacksare-a-badge-of-honor-127012421649 PRESS: BBC World News TV; WBAL Baltimore Local TV; MSNBC "The Beat" with Ari Melber;
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Nov. 24, 2021 - GLOBAL - 257,469,528/5,158,211; USA - 47,916,623/773,779 Very gratifying public response to the Yasmeen article in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/comments?storyUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2 Finvestigations%2F2021%2F11%2F19%2Ffauci-beagle-white-coat-waste%2F Jeff just called me and told me that he wants me to brief the President in the Oval Office on Monday from 4:00 to 5:00 PM on what we need to do looking forward but the pandemic. He wants it to be only me representing the Medical Group because he feels I had a degree of precise clarity. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I have been doing a lot of press in the usual situation of having to predict and advise people of how to handle their safety during the traveling period of the coming holidays. Mike Osterholm and Eric Topol wrote a scathing article in the WashPost criticizing the CDC for not giving a clear message on boosters: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/24/cdc-got-it-wrong-it-should-have-urgedall-adults-get-covid-19-booster-shots/ ksgiving Day) Global USA Over 250,000 Black and Latino Churches Express Full Confidence in Dr. Fauci's Leadership and Medical Advice News Provided By National Black Church Initiative
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2021-11-25 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
Nov. 25, 2021 (Thanksgiving Day) Global USA The New York Times had a Thanksgiving day write-up on A summary of where we are with COVID-19 in the context of an interview with me. The last question they asked was what I was thankful for at Thanksgiving. My response is given below: Adam: Last year we asked you what you're thankful for, you very sweetly talked about your wife. What in the last 12 months are you thankful for -- personally, professionally, or both? Fauci: Well, I'll give you one of each. I'm professionally thankful that we successfully did something that was unprecedented in the history of vaccinology. And that is, we went from the sequence of a virus to a vaccine that was highly effective and safe. And we've been able to vaccinate a substantial proportion, although not as much as I would want, but a substantial proportion of the of the population. That's professional. Personally, it's the same thing. It's no secret that I have been clearly targeted by rather radical elements who just keep attacking me every day, all day -- Fox News, Breitbart -- all those other crazies. And what I'm thankful for is what I said last year, that I have an incredible partner who is really amazing in her understanding of me and just keeps me grounded in reality when you have hand grenades being thrown at you every day. To have somebody that reminds you that what you're doing is absolutely important for the health and the safety of the country, so don't pay any attention to all that nonsense. That's what I'm thankful for Major Serious Issue with new South African Variant!! - It is Thanksgiving Day and something has come up today that is very serious. I got an email from Jeff Zients who forwrsded an email from Stephane Bancel. Stephane was alerting Jeff to the fact that he had heard that there was a new variant in South Africa called B.1.1.529. See below: 25Nov2021 SGTF sequence report - N One of the problems is that the mutations that have accumulated which are now greater than 30 on the Spike protein including 10 mutations at the RBD would predict an escape from immune protection . In addition, the variant in RSA has rapidly gone from a couple of percent to double digits. Clearly, it is highly transmissible and has been demonstrated in people who have recovered from the Delta variant. This is very disconcerting since besides its transmissibility, this suggests that is eluding immune protection. I engaged in a bunch of phone calls with Larry Corey and John Mascola and multiple calls with Jeff Zients. I tried repeatedly to contact Rochelle Walenski, but she is not answering texts, emails or telephone calls. However, it turns out that there is a glitch in my connection to her text and my texts keep getting sent to an e-mail address. We will fix this. I finally go to her later in the evening. Larry Corey has arranged a zoom for 10:30 AM tomorrow with our South African colleagues including Glenda Gray, Penny Moore and Tulio de Oliveira who is the evolutionary biologist from South Africa. Of particular note, as I was scrambling around to contact people, the UK announced that they are banning flights not only from South Africa but also from Namibia , Lesotho , Botswana , Eswatini, and Zimbabwe. In addition, they are going to require PCR tests for all arrivals into the UK. Israel has also now announced it will ban its citizens from traveling to southern Africa covering the same countries as well as Mozambique. Again, with multiple phone calls with Jeff , we decided to wait until tomorrow morning when we will have contact with the South Africans to get a clear review of what is going on. When I finally connected with Rochelle later in the evening, it was clear that she really didn't have any idea what was going on. I am really surprised by this since the CDC should be all over these types of leads. In addition, when I began to probe it is clear that this issue had been circulating for a couple of days, and amazingly on the calls with the White House medical team Rochelle and the CDC never brought it up. This is really strange since I would imagine that with their global connections they would have been all over this. I have arranged to have both Rochelle and Francis Collins join the zoom call that Larry Corey set up for us to engage with the South Africans. Just heard tonight that the WHO has called a special meeting to address the issue: First meeting of Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) https://www.who.int/news/item/24-11-2021-first-meeting-of-scientificadvisory-group-for-the-origins-of-novel-pathogens-(sago) WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the First meeting of the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-generals-opening-remarks-at-the-first-meeting-of-the-who-scientific-advisory-groupfor-the-origins-of-novel-pathogens-(sago) WHO calls special meeting to discuss new Covid variant found in South Africa with 'a large number of mutations' https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/25/who-calls-special-meeting-to-discussnew-covid-variant-from-south-africa-with-large-number-ofmutations.html?fbclid=IwAR1VKOrWxAWjeHqVzJH0KLpPgPBRhEH lWZU KrN4bol3qFcrLgLYOjrO5aI Covid: New heavily mutated variant B.1.1.529 in South Africa raises concern https://www.bbc.com/news/health-59418127 New variant displaying a 'big jump in evolution' detected in South Africa. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/25/world/variant-south-africa-covid.html Noes Summary * Epidemiological data suggest sustained increase in COVID-19 incidence across Gauteng, possibly fueled by cluster outbreaks * New variant (B.1.1.529) detected in multiple samples from across Gauteng * Public and private testing labs in Gauteng have noticed a significant and rapid increase in detection of variant (based on PCR proxy), and now increasing in other provinces * Mutation profile predicted to give significant immune evasion and enhanced transmissibility -- urgent work already started to understand full significance « We can make some predictions about the impact of mutations in this variant, but full significance uncertain and the vaccines remain the critical More later. I sent an email to Rochelle telling her that she better be prepared to move quickly with her team no later than tomorrow if in fact we decide that we are going to shut down travel from southern Africa. I tried to give her the benefit from my prior experience with shutting down from China as well as from the European states. She did not seem to be on top of things, and so I gave her a real strong briefing about the fact that she is going to have to move and move boldly.
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Nov. 26, 2021 - GLOBAL USA All set for Zoom with RSA folks this AM. Story starting to break as the South African public health people had a meeting and discussed all the details of the increase in cases that apparently are spreading rapidly throughout South Africa. 25Nov2021 SGTF sequence report - N Not sure about the evasion of vaccines , but the situation is certainly heating up . Will discuss whether or not we're going to restrict travel from South Africa later today at a 12 noon call with Jeff. Email from Cyrus Shahpar on 11/26/2021: and The Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP 1.g0V> (Ov> @nih.gov Iley@fnih.org>; Holland, Steven (NIH/NIAID) [E] Deputy Health Minister in UK gave statement to Parliament about why they are prohibiting travel fro RSA and other African countries: Oral Statement on B.1.1.529 variant The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has given a statement to Parliament on a new variant under investigation and action government is taking.
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November 26, 2021, 8:17 AM EST
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Nov. 27, 2021 - GLOBAL USA Conversation with Jerome (Jay) Powell, Chair of the US Federal Reserve. Bob Grady texted me this morning to connect me with Jay Powell who wanted to talk to me about the implications of the new variant on the economy since he was in the process with the Federal Reserve of making trillions of dollars in loans to other countries. He wanted to hear from me first-hand about what my projections for the outbreak would be. He will be testifying before Congress this coming week and we agreed that I would keep him posted as to any additional information that comes out. I briefed him thoroughly and what we know up to this point. PRESS: NBC "Today" with Kristen Welker and Peter Alexander;
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Nov. 28, 2021 (Sunday) Global USA Very Important Day!! - An extraordinary amount has been going on over the last 24 to 48 hours. It is very clear that with the Omicorn variant is rapidly spreading from the epicenter in South Africa with mostly travel-related cases to a number of countries at this point including Botswana, the Netherlands, England, Hong Kong, Australia, Italy, Israel, Belgium, Czech Republic, and several other countries. This is unquestionably a highly transmissible virus. We had a very productive zoom call at 12 noon Washington DC time with our South African colleagues once again. The main players among the South Africans were Tulio de Oliveira, Glenda Gray, and Carolyn Williamson. The have been extraordinarily transparent and helpfu giving us data in real time. It is a shame that we had to block travel from RSA. However, we would have gotten killed by the press if we did not as we are now getting killed for having done it. I expressed my deep gratitude to them for their help. The South Africans gave us a really good feel about the fact that there are things that we know and things that we don't know at this point. The combination of the many mutations in the spike protein together with the fact that they are seeing spikes in infection among people who have recovered from delta as well as those who have been vaccinated. The critical question is how severe is this disease that likely will result from this new infection. Immediately after the briefing with the South Africans, Jeff wanted me to come to the White House to help prepare the speech that the President will be making tomorrow about Omicorn. I spent a considerable amount of time in Jeff's office together with Natalie working on the presentation that I would be giving to the President this evening as well as the content of his upcoming speech tomorrow. After we worked on the presentation and his speech, we went to the Oval Office at around 3:30 PM and sat around the Resolute Desk. Briefing the President were Ron Klain, Jon Fine, Natalie, and Jeff. I gave a full briefing to the President about what the situation was with the new variant. In addition, we all sat around and edited with him the speech that he will deliver tomorrow at a White House press conference. At the end of the briefing, Ron and Jeff strongly suggested and the President agreed that I should be at the press conference with him tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM to answer any of the scientifically related questions. The President was very much in favor of this. I was a little bit concerned because I did not want it to appear that we were pushing out the surgeon general (Vivek) and the CDC director (Rochelle). BTW, both of them were not in DC (Miami and Atlanta). However, Jeff and Ron were very adamant that it be me alone since they did not want there to be any confusion about who would answer which question. One of the things that I noticed that was very clear is that the President appeared extremely tired and very muted and low key. I'm beginning to see that this is his style . However, when we got to the question and answer. He asked all the right questions. And so I can understand why his critics can often refer to him as "Sleepy Joe" when in fact he really is paying attention and is very measured in his responses. In addition, he speaks in a very low monotone which makes it appear almost that he is frail when he is not. After the briefing I rushed home and joined the Sunday night call with the COVID medical team led by Jeff. Tomorrow will be a big day. We are hearing a lot of pushback from people who are saying we should not have blocked travel from southern African countries. They fail to understand that we are not trying to completely prevent the influx of infection. Rather, we want tements and Releases he to buy ourselves a little bit time usually measured in a couple of weeks to better prepared, understand better what is going on, and to get people vaccinated and boosted. However, as usual no matter what you do people are going to try and punch holes in it and give a reason why they think it is a mistake. I have gotten extremely used to this and understand that very well. See Below: Readout of President Biden's Meeting with COVID-19 Response Team on the Omicron Variant