Tony's Diary Package — page 288

2. Schools can open and should open everywhere - I countered that this would cause a new round of community spread and eventually lead to new hospitalizations and deaths - but I had no impact 3. Children are not at any risk to infection and do not spread the virus in any manner - the do not transmit the virus 4. HTN and associated co-morbidities are not that critical - ie all BB, MLB, FB except for line backers that are overweight are at no risk as physical fitness overcomes the virus effects 5. Masks are over rated and not needed 6. Testing is very over rating - thus the source of the President's call for new testing guidance 7. Case identification is bad for the President's reelection - testing should only be of the sick The president has decided we were wrong about "heat" and the summer and therefore our opinions at this point are irrelevant. (As was discuss by CHOP months ago and all models predicted outdoors (thus summer) would decrease R1 by 15-20% due to some increase in social distancing but this could immediately be over come with decreased mitigation such as social distancing and etc and thus the situation we are in.) He noted that it was the task force that got us into this ditch by promoting testing and falsely increasing case counts compared to other countries. The conclusion was Dr Atlas is brilliant and the President will be following his guidance now. I don't know what can be done at this point but I will make another run at this and will continue the state by state approach to try to contain the virus but doubt my abilities to change the President's mind concerning what needs to be done - strict mask use, expansion of testing, strict social distancing and limiting access to all public venues where social distancing and masks cannot be used, limit school reopenings where there is uncontrolled community spread - the red counties - until the outbreak can be contained, limiting in yellow counties with strict social distancing and mask use. Open to all thoughts but I don't think I can be very effective at this point. Deb Met with POTUS in Oval Office together with Collins, Deb, Moncef Slaoui, Gus Perna and the entire WH staff with our group sitting in front of the desk. Meeting was supposed to be our briefing the POTUS on vaccine progress. However, it turned into the free-floating stream of consciousness about vaccines, treatments, stock market, Russian vaccine, approval ratings, testing too much, influenza, etc, etc. My relationship with him is now back on track as I joked with him a lot during the meeting. Lasted about 40 minutes.