During a Buck Institute Webinar streamed on July 14, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield promoted the general reopening of schools, highlighting the low coronavirus risk for children without preexisting conditions and the unfortunate spike in suicides and drug overdoses, which Redfield said are &#8220;far greater&#8221; in number than COVID-linked deaths in the young.
&#8220;It’s not risk of school openings versus public health. It’s public health versus public health,&#8221; <a href="https://www.buckinstitute.org/covid-webinar-series-transcript-robert-redfield-md/">asserted</a> Redfield.
&#8220;I’m of the point of view, and I weigh that equation as an individual that has 11 grandchildren that the greater risk is actually to the nation to keep these schools closed,&#8221; he continued.
Redfield said that over 7 million children get mental health services from their school, &#8220;a lot of people get food and nutrition in schools,&#8221; and added that schools are vital &#8220;in terms of mandatory reporting sexual and child abuse.&#8221;
&#8220;Obviously, the socialization is important,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And, obviously, for some kids, I think actually a majority of kids, their learning in a face-to-face school is the most effective method of teaching.&#8221;
The reopening, Redfield underscored, &#8220;has to be done safely, and it has to be done with the confidence of the teachers. It has to be done with the confidence of parents. And so I think each of the school districts will begin to wrestle with this.&#8221;
Speaking of the risks of the China-originated coronavirus to children, Redfield said data shows the flu is some five to 10 times more deadly, adding that the odds of a child dying a COVID-linked death is &#8220;one in a million.&#8221;
&#8220;I think it is important to try to be factual as we go through this,&#8221; the CDC director said. &#8220;When we look at, right now, the mortality of this particular COVID virus, in the first almost 218,000 people we looked at February to July, there was 52 individuals under the age of 18. And if I recollect, about 35 were actually school age. Some of them were younger than school age. We’re looking critically at those individuals. And, you know, clearly, there’s an increase in comorbidities related to significant medical conditions&#8230;&#8221;
&#8220;But I think that’s important because what that means, actually, is the risk per 100,000, so far, you know, into the outbreak, six months into it, is, in fact, that we’re looking at about .1 per 100,000. So another way to say that, it’s one in a million,&#8221; Redfield said in reference to the death rate among children.
&#8220;Now, I’m not trying to belittle that, I’m just trying to make sure we look at it proportional,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Because if you do the same thing for influenza deaths for school-age children over the last five years, they’re anywhere from five to 10 times greater.&#8221;
&#8220;So I want people to understand the risk properly as they make that decision. And, obviously, influenza, we also benefit from having therapy and a vaccine. So I don’t want people to overestimate the risk of serious illness to individuals that are school age,&#8221; Redfield advised.
&#8220;That said, there is a real risk to vulnerable individuals that are teachers, potentially, that may have comorbidities,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And, obviously, there are some students that have a comorbidity.&#8221;
According to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/flu-vs-covid19.htm">CDC.gov</a>, &#8220;The risk of complications for healthy children is higher for flu compared to COVID-19. However, infants and children with underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for both flu and COVID-19.&#8221;
The CDC director then discussed the social tradeoff of the shutdown, particularly for our youths.
&#8220;But there has been another cost that we’ve seen, particularly in high schools,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We’re seeing, sadly, far greater suicides now than we are deaths from COVID. We’re seeing far greater deaths from drug overdose that are above excess that we had as background than we are seeing the deaths from COVID.&#8221;
&#8220;So this is why I keep coming back for the overall social being of individuals,&#8221; he continued, &#8220;is let’s all work together and find out how we can find common ground to get these schools open in a way that people are comfortable and their safe. And if there is a need for investment and resources, just like there is a need for some of the underprivileged children that are probably better served if they have certain comorbidities to do homeschooling, they need the access to be able to have the computer and the internet to do that.&#8221;
&#8220;The goal is to get all these kids back into education,&#8221; concluded Redfield. &#8220;I’d like to see the goal being face-to-face education, five days a week, as when we get there, then we’ve got there for those children that don’t have an underlying significant comorbidity that would preclude it. And, hopefully, the states and the federal government will work together to see that the resources to get these schools fully operational come to bear.&#8221;
The full webinar can be viewed <a href="https://buck2020.extendedsession.com/session/dr-robert-redfield/">here</a>.
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Robert Redfield

CDC Director: Threat Of Suicide, Drugs, Flu To Youth ‘Far Greater’ Than Covid

Coronavirus

COVID-19

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance on Friday warning about severe consequences to children if schools do not reopen for in-person class in the fall.
The CDC’s updated guidance now aligns with recommendations made by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which endorsed school reopenings with limited exceptions last month. The new guidance also resolves what many had said was a conflict between the White House and the CDC on the safety of in-person learning amid the pandemic.
“The best available evidence from countries that have opened schools indicates that COVID-19 poses low risks to school-aged children, at least in areas with low community transmission, and suggests that children are unlikely to be major drivers of the spread of the virus,” the CDC concludes in its <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/reopening-schools.html">guidance</a>. “Reopening schools creates opportunity to invest in the education, well-being, and future of one of America’s greatest assets — our children — while taking every precaution to protect students, teachers, staff and all their families.”
President Trump has pushed for schools to open in the U.S. to resume in-person learning as soon as possible, even threatening to strip federal funding from school districts that refuse to open back up in the fall. The president has said that schools would be allowed to remain closed in coronavirus hotspots.
The administration has argued that the risk to students of missing significant time in class far <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dan-crenshaw-smacks-democrats-for-pushing-narrative-of-crisis-and-fear-on-schools-reopening">outweighs</a> the risk to students of violating social distancing rules amid the pandemic. Studies suggest that the coronavirus is much less dangerous to children and young adults than common illnesses such as the flu. According to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-academy-of-pediatrics-get-students-back-to-school-in-the-fall">AAP</a>:
<blockquote>SARS-CoV-2 appears to behave differently in children and adolescents than other common respiratory viruses, such as influenza, on which much of the current guidance regarding school closures is based. Although children and adolescents play a major role in amplifying influenza outbreaks, to date, this does not appear to be the case with SARS-CoV-2. Although many questions remain, the preponderance of evidence indicates that children and adolescents are less likely to be symptomatic and less likely to have severe disease resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, children may be less likely to become infected and to spread infection.</blockquote>
Democrats, teachers unions, and others have pushed back against the administration’s strategy. The Florida Education Association (FEA), the state’s largest teachers union, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/floridas-largest-teachers-union-sues-gov-desantis-over-school-reopenings">sued</a> Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this week over a state Department of Education order for schools to reopen.
“Everyone wants schools to reopen, but we don’t want to begin in-person teaching, face an explosion of cases and sickness, then be forced to return to distance learning,” The FEA argued.
The AAP and CDC guidance says that children not allowed to attend school in the fall face greater risk of abuse, as well as detrimental impacts to their physical and emotional health. The advice also warns of lasting effects to a generation’s education and learning.
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President Trump

CDC Sides With Trump, Says Students Need To Go Back To School

public schools

Four previous directors of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention accused President Donald Trump of politicizing the agency and botching the U.S. pandemic response.
Tom Frieden, Jeffrey Koplan, David Satcher, and Richard Besser, who altogether ran the CDC for about 15 years, slammed Trump in a joint op-ed published Tuesday in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/07/14/cdc-directors-trump-politics/">The Washington Post</a>. The former directors argued that Trump had failed the U.S. in part because case numbers are higher across the country than those reported by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“As America begins the formidable task of getting our kids back to school and all of us back to work safely amid a pandemic that is only getting worse, public health experts face two opponents: covid-19, but also political leaders and others attempting to undermine the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the public health experts began, referencing the Trump administration’s push to reopen schools in the fall. “As the debate last week around reopening schools more safely showed, these repeated efforts to subvert sound public health guidelines introduce chaos and uncertainty while unnecessarily putting lives at risk.”
The former directors went on to tout China’s reported cases relative to the United States. The coronavirus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan and spread globally to nations unprepared to face such a disease in large part because the CCP initially hid the outbreak. The Chinese government <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-a-timeline-of-the-coronavirus-outbreak-and-chinas-coverup">allowed</a> an estimated 5 million people to leave Wuhan before shutting down the city.
“China, using the same mitigation tools available to us and with a far larger population, has had just a tiny fraction of the 3.1 million cases reported here. The United States now has more cases and deaths than any other country and the sixth-highest rate of any large country in the world — and we are gaining on the other five. The United States is home to a quarter of the world’s reported coronavirus infections and deaths, despite being home to only 4.4 percent of the global population,” the former CDC directors wrote.
The U.S. intelligence officials have reportedly <a href="https://dw-site-dev.dailywire.com/news/breaking-u-s-intelligence-tells-trump-that-china-intentionally-lied-about-coronavirus-outbreak-report-says">warned</a> the White House that China is intentionally underreporting the virus’s spread and fatality rate. Based on the evidence, Trump has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-death-rate-from-coronavirus-in-china-far-higher-than-the-u-s">said</a> China&#8217;s death toll from the disease is “far higher” than that of the United States.
The former directors also asserted that the pandemic in the U.S. is worsening as “willful disregard for public health guidelines” leads “to a sharp rise in infections and deaths.” It remains unclear what data the group is referring to. Total positive cases in the United States are rising as the disease spreads in the South and West. Weekly deaths from the disease in the U.S. continue to fall, however.
As noted by the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html">CDC</a>:
<blockquote>Based on death certificate data, the percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia, influenza or COVID-19 (PIC) decreased from 6.9% during week 26 to 5.5% during week 27, representing the eleventh week of a declining percentage of deaths due to PIC. The percentage is currently below the epidemic threshold but will likely change as more death certificates are processed, particularly for recent weeks.</blockquote>

Former CDC Directors Bash Trump Over Virus Response, Says U.S. Is Failing Compared To China

China

Washington Post

CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD, told a group of reporters in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, on Monday that if everyone wears face coverings for four to six weeks in the U.S., the COVID-19 epidemic in the country could be driven &#8220;to the ground.&#8221;
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s important, again, to emphasize, you can&#8217;t emphasize it too much, that actually face coverings work,” Redfield said. &#8220;It&#8217;s our major defense to prevent ourselves from getting this infection.&#8221;
Redfield continued, &#8220;If all of us would put on a face covering now for the next four weeks to six weeks, I think we could drive this epidemic to the ground in the country, so hopefully there’ll continue to be more emphasis on that.&#8221;
&#8220;I just want to make a few points of emphasis, that obviously I think people realize that this is the greatest public health crisis that we&#8217;ve had to respond to as a nation in more than a hundred years, and it&#8217;s really a marathon, not a sprint,&#8221; Redfield said leading into his later comments about face coverings.
&#8220;One of the most important things that we have in the response to this outbreak right now, as we wait for the development of important countermeasures, particularly an effective, efficacious vaccine, is to fully embrace public health,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And the most important aspect of that, I try to remind people that we are not defenseless against this virus, we actually have some of the most powerful weapons you could ask to have.&#8221;
Along with urging the public to wear face coverings, Redfield emphasized the importance of maintaining &#8220;hand hygiene&#8221; and &#8220;social distancing.&#8221;
Redfield&#8217;s comments come as the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. hit over 3.3 million this week with over 135,000 succumbing to the disease.
Video and partial transcript of Redfield&#8217;s comments below:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield: “If all of us would put on a face covering now for the next 4-6 weeks, we could drive this epidemic to the ground.” <a href="https://t.co/VCxLtn7lMB">pic.twitter.com/VCxLtn7lMB</a>
&mdash; The Recount (@therecount) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1282784165356871680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote>CDC DIRECTOR ROBERT REDFIELD: I just want to make a few points of emphasis that obviously I think people realize that this is the greatest public health crisis that we&#8217;ve had to respond to as a nation in more than a hundred years and it&#8217;s really a marathon, not a sprint.
One of the most important things that we have in the response to this outbreak right now, as we wait for the development of important countermeasures, particularly an effective efficacious vaccine, is to fully embrace public health. And the most important aspect of that I try to remind people that we are not defenseless against this virus, we actually have some of the most powerful weapons you could ask to have. And the most powerful weapon that we have that I know of is wearing face coverings when you&#8217;re in public. So, we ask the American public to all fully embrace the use of face coverings when they&#8217;re in public.
The second thing we have is the importance of hand hygiene and the third is the importance of social distancing. These are not just words, these are very powerful public health tools. And then we can couple that with the traditional public health measures that we&#8217;ve used for decades of early case identification, contact tracing, isolation. But the most important thing that I can ask the American public to do is to fully embrace face coverings, to fully embrace careful hand hygiene and fully embrace social distancing.
And the last thing I&#8217;ll say before I answer questions is, I also appeal to the American public to commit themselves to protect the vulnerable. For most of those under the age of 45, this virus is not going to cause significant morbidity or mortality, but those of us that have significant medical comorbidities like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, chronic lung disease, and happen to be elderly, particularly those over the age of 65, with those comorbidities, this virus can cause significant illness requiring hospitalization, even death.
&#8230;
I think it&#8217;s important, again, to emphasize, you can&#8217;t emphasize it too much, that actually face coverings work. It&#8217;s our major defense to prevent ourselves from getting this infection.
If all of us would put on a face covering now for the next four weeks to six weeks I think we could drive this epidemic to the ground in the country, so hopefully there’ll continue to be more emphasis on that.</blockquote>
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Coronavirus Task Force Holds Press Briefing At U.S. Department Of Education

CDC Director: U.S. ‘Could Drive This Epidemic’ Into The Ground In 4-6 Weeks With Simple Steps

According to National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins, his agency, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Academy of Medicine, will form an advisory committee that will determine where a coronavirus vaccine would be distributed.
On July 2, Collins informed a Senate panel that the group of agencies hope to have the committee formed by Labor Day, adding, &#8220;We think that might be something best done, in a circumstance, by an organization that is not itself governmental. Because it&#8217;s still the case, I think, that people are a little uneasy about the government calling the shots here,” the <a href="https://www.ibtimes.com/coronavirus-vaccine-panel-experts-determine-who-gets-vaccinated-first-us-3005344">International Business Times</a> reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/national-strategy/planning-guidance/guidance_508.html">guidelines</a> for the distribution of a vaccine:
<blockquote>Across categories, vaccine will be allocated and administered according to tiers where all groups designated for vaccination within a tier have equal priority for vaccination. Groups within tiers vary depending on pandemic severity. Tier 1 is the highest priority group to receive vaccination if there is limited vaccine supply for any pandemic severity.
Persons not targeted for vaccination in an occupational group would be vaccinated as part of the General Population based on their age and health status.</blockquote>
For the purposes of any vaccination, the CDC divides the American population into four categories: Homeland and National Security, Health Care and Community Services, Other Critical Infrastructure, and General Population.
In the category of Homeland and National Security, Tier 1 includes “the group deployed &amp; mission essential personnel.’” In the category of Health Care and Community Services, the CDC designates “Public health personnel, inpatient health care providers, outpatient and home health providers, health care providers in long-term care facilities, and pharmacists and pharmacy technicians” as Tier 1.
In the category of Other Critical Infrastructure, Tier 1 includes “Emergency services and public safety sector personnel such as EMS, law enforcement, fire services, and manufacturers of pandemic vaccine and antivirals.” In the category of General Population, Tier 1 includes “Pregnant women, infants and toddlers 6-35 months old.”
“The Trump administration launched <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/06/16/fact-sheet-explaining-operation-warp-speed.html">Operation Warp Speed</a>, in early June, with a goal of delivering 300 million coronavirus vaccine by January 2021. Essentially, the president wants to cut the process of vaccine development, which normally takes at least five years,” the International Business Times noted.
Speaking with Collins on Monday, Dr. Anthony Fauci <a href="https://www.pscp.tv/w/1jMJgXabMYWxL">stated</a> of the current state of the coronavirus:
<blockquote>The current state is really not good in a sense that, as you know, we have been in a situation, where we were averaging about 20,000 new cases a day, and then a series of circumstances associated with various states and cities trying to open up in the sense of getting back to some form of normality has led to a situation where we now have record-breaking cases. Two days ago, it was at 57,500, so within a period of a week and a half, we’ve almost doubled the number of cases … we are still knee-deep in the first wave of this. And I would say this would not be considered a wave, it was a surge or resurgence of infections superimposed upon a baseline that really never got down to where we wanted to go.</blockquote>
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Close-Up Of Doctor Filling Medical Injection.

CDC, NIH, National Academy Of Medicine To Form Committee Determining Who Gets Vaccine First, Report Says

vaccine

This article has been revised for emphasis and clarity (see note below).
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the percentage of deaths in the United States has dipped low enough so that the nation is at the &#8220;epidemic threshold,&#8221; which means if the percentage should drop any lower, the CDC would no longer call the coronavirus an epidemic. The agency also notes, however, that it expects the status will &#8220;likely change&#8221; as more death certificates are processed for recent weeks.
The CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html">wrote</a> that the percentage of deaths had declined for 10 weeks in a row, noting: “Based on death certificate data, the percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia, influenza or COVID-19 (PIC) decreased from 9.0% during week 25 to 5.9% during week 26, representing the tenth week of a declining percentage of deaths due to PIC. The percentage is currently at the epidemic threshold but will likely change as more death certificates are processed, particularly for recent weeks.”
The CDC is still unsure whether the 10-week declining percentage of deaths will see a reverse, adding, “Nationally, levels of influenza-like illness (ILI) and COVID-19-like illness (CLI) activity remain lower than peaks seen in March and April but are increasing in most regions. The percentage of specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, also increased from last week.  Mortality attributed to COVID-19 decreased compared to last week and is currently at the epidemic threshold but will likely increase as additional death certificates are processed.”
“That threshold death rate for COVID-19 and other diseases such as influenza and pneumonia fluctuates, ranging typically from 5 to 7 percent at the height of flu season,” <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2020/07/06/cdc-after-10-week-decline-in-covid-19-deaths-it-may-soon-no-longer-be-an-epidemic/">The Federalist</a> noted.
Near the end of June, CDC Director Robert Redfield <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/06/25/coronavirus-cases-10-times-larger/">posited</a> that the number of people in the United States who had been infected was likely 10 times higher than the 2.4 million confirmed cases, meaning at least 24 million people had been infected. Redfield surmised that between 5 to 8 percent of Americans had been infected, adding, “Young people, many newly mobile after months of lockdowns, have been getting tested more often in recent weeks and driving the surge in cases in the South and West &#8230; in the past, I just don’t think we diagnosed these infections.&#8221;
On Friday, the CDC delineated the differences in number of positive tests for the coronavirus around the nation:
<blockquote>Nationally, using combined data from the three laboratory types, the percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 with a molecular assay increased from week 25 (8.1%) to week 26 (8.7%).
Increases were reported in seven of ten HHS surveillance regions. Four regions reported between 4% and 6% of specimens positive for SARS-CoV-2: Regions 2 [NY/NJ/Puerto Rico], 5 [Midwest], 7 [Central] and 10 [Pacific Northwest].
Two regions reported between 10% and 15% of specimens positive for SARS-CoV-2: Regions 4 [South East] and 9 [South West/Coast]. Region 6 [South Central] reported &gt;15% of specimens positive for SARS-CoV-2.
Three regions (Regions 1 [New England], 3 [Mid-Atlantic] and 8 [Mountain]) reported a stable or decreasing percentage of specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.</blockquote>
This article and its title have been revised to emphasize that while the CDC currently considers us at epidemic threshold level, it predicts that status &#8220;will likely change as more death certificates are processed, particularly for recent weeks.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

In this photo illustration the Centers of Disease Control

Following Death Percentage Decline, CDC Says We’re On ‘Epidemic Threshold’

The number of Americans who have contracted COVID-19 is likely 10 times higher than the 2.5 million currently confirmed cases, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
Center For Disease Control (CDC) Director Dr. Robert Redfield’s estimate indicates that at least 25 million Americans have been infected by SARS-CoV-2 to date.
That means the fatality rate could be 10 times lower than previously thought.
By the numbers as of June 28, via the <a href="https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6">Johns Hopkins</a> Center for Systems Science and Engineering:
<ul>
<li>2,510,337 confirmed cases</li>
<li>125,539 fatalities</li>
<li>= 5.0% death rate</li>
</ul>
But using Redfield&#8217;s numbers, the equation looks like this:
<ul>
<li>25,103,370 cases</li>
<li>125,539 fatalities</li>
<li>= 0.5% death rate</li>
</ul>
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have soared recently amid a massive testing increase in states across the country. But because the virus can be asymptomatic in up to 50% of people, the number of infected is likely far higher, Redfield says.
Millions of Americans have taken antibody tests, which show whether a person&#8217;s blood indicates the immune system has responded to infection. Some studies have shown that the number of those infected is far higher than the official count kept by the CDC, as well as the Hopkins count.
Most of the predictions have been far off the mark. First, officials predicted 1.7 million Americans dead; then they redid the models and said 100,000-240,000 would die. But some studies have revealed different scenarios.
A new study suggests that as many as 8.7 million Americans were infected with coronavirus in March, but found that more than 80% went undiagnosed.
&#8220;The findings support a scenario where more than 8.7 million new SARS-CoV-2 infections appeared in the U.S. during March and estimate that more than 80% of these cases remained unidentified as the outbreak rapidly spread,&#8221; Justin Silverman of Penn State University, Alex Washburne of Montana State University and colleagues at Cornell University and elsewhere, wrote in <a href="https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/06/22/scitranslmed.abc1126">the study</a>.
Under Redfield&#8217;s assertion, millions and millions of Americans have already been infected with the virus. But this has been known for some time (even though the fact has been little reported in the mainstream media).
An antibody study conducted in late April in New York City found that 1 in 5 (21.2%) of residents had already been infected with the coronavirus. There are 8.5 million people in New York City, so that would mean 1.8 million New Yorkers have had the virus.
At the time of the study, there were 16,249 deaths in the city attributed to COVID-19, which meant the death rate in the city was 0.89% — far lower than reports in the U.S. media.
Results of an antibody survey in Los Angeles found as many as 442,000 Los Angeles County residents might have already been infected with the coronavirus by early April, a number far higher than the 8,000 cases confirmed at the time. The survey suggested that the death rate from the virus could be as low as 0.18% of COVID-19 patients, which meant the actual death rate in the city was far lower than reported.
The <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8244533/What-REAL-death-rate-COVID-19-Data-LA-suggests-kill-0-18-patients.html">Daily Mail</a> reported in April that “coronavirus may kill 70 times fewer patients than official UK death figures suggest, studies have shown.” The Mail said a similar fatality rate — 0.19% — was found in a study of residents in Helsinki, Finland.
And a study, this one by Dr. Justin Silverman, estimated that there were 8.7 million coronavirus infections in the U.S. between March 8 and March 28. And as of April 17, 10% of Americans have been infected — which is roughly 33 million Americans, the study found.
Meanwhile, a Stanford University antibody study in late April estimated the fatality rate from the virus is likely 0.1% to 0.2%. The World Health Organization (WHO) had estimated that the death rate was 20 to 30 times higher and called for isolation policies.
In New York City, the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic, the death rate for people 18 to 45 years old was 0.01%, or 10 per 100,000 in the population, a May study found. People aged 75 and older, though, have a death rate 80 times that. For children under 18, the rate of death is zero per 100,000.
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Doctor hand holding positive Coronavirus or Covid-19 rapid test

Fatality Rate Plunges As CDC Director Says COVID Cases Likely 10X Higher

First there was the coronavirus. Then came &#8220;murder&#8221; hornets. And now here come the cannibal rats.
With major cities becoming ghost towns amid fears of COVID-19, rat populations are surging. But with restaurants closed and city garbage cans mostly empty, some rats are turning to eating &#8230; each other.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently put out a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/rodents.html">warning</a> about “unusual or aggressive” behavior in rats.
&#8220;Jurisdictions have closed or limited service at restaurants and other commercial establishments to help limit the spread of COVID-19. Rodents rely on the food and waste generated by these establishments. Community-wide closures have led to a decrease in food available to rodents, especially in dense commercial areas. Some jurisdictions have reported an increase in rodent activity as rodents search for new sources of food. Environmental health and rodent control programs may see an increase in service requests related to rodents and reports of unusual or aggressive rodent behavior,&#8221; the CDC said.
The U.S. health agency also said rats have been observed resorting to eating their young in the wake of urban shutdowns.
“The rats are not becoming aggressive toward people, but toward each other,” Bobby Corrigan, an urban rodentologist, told The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/24/us/cdc-coronavirus-rats.html">New York Times</a> on Sunday. “They’re simply turning on each other.”
“They are going to war with each other, eating each other’s young in some populations and battling each other for the food they can find,” Corrigan said. “But the rats that live and eat in residential blocks probably haven’t noticed a single bit of difference during the shutdown.”
In case you haven’t heard, Asian giant hornets, or, more scientifically, Vespa mandarinia — but also known as “murder hornets” — have arrived in America.
“It’s a shockingly large hornet,” Todd Murray, a specialist in invasive species at Washington State University (WSU), told <a href="https://www.insider.com/murder-hornet-insect-capable-of-killing-humans-colonizing-us-2020-5">CBS News</a>, which added “while generally not aggressive towards people or pets, the hornets can attack if provoked, officials say, and have killed humans in extreme circumstances.”
The two-inch-long hornets started showing up in Washington state in December, and there are fears that the insects will spread across the country. The hornets kill upwards of 50 people in China and Japan each year, and they also attack honeybees, which pollinate the fruits and vegetables we eat.
Scientists fear the hornets, like the stink bugs that emerged in the U.S. several years ago, will eventually sweep the nation.
Meanwhile, wild animals are reportedly roving all over the country amid the empty cities and locked down suburbs.
“Animals have started taking advantage of cities as they enter lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. From New Delhi, India, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, groups of animals including deer and lemurs have started to come out to explore — in search of food or just to play,” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2020/apr/22/animals-roaming-streets-coronavirus-lockdown-photos">The Guardian</a> wrote.
“Pigs Are Taking Over the Streets of Paris,” said another <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCoB0xlkxVs">headline</a>.
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black rat

Forget The Murder Hornets. Beware The Cannibal Rats.

The Centers for Disease Control has provided updated <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/rodents.html">guidance</a> on rodent control, and the latest version cautions that environmental management programs and pest control services may receive reports of  “unusual or aggressive rodent behavior&#8221; amidst pandemic-related closures.
The new guidance, which has been updated to reflect pandemic closures, warns that rats may be missing out on restaurant scraps and commercial business garbage, causing them to scatter off to new places in search of food.
“Rodents rely on the food and waste generated by these establishments. Community-wide closures have led to a decrease in food available to rodents, especially in dense commercial areas,” said the CDC guidance. “Some jurisdictions have reported an increase in rodent activity as rodents search for new sources of food. Environmental health and rodent control programs may see an increase in service requests related to rodents and reports of unusual or aggressive rodent behavior.”
Bobby Corrigan, an urban rodentologist and consultant, told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/starving-angry-cannibalistic-america-s-rats-are-getting-desperate-amid-n1180611">NBC News</a> last month that when rodents face food shortages, they may declare war on other rodent colonies or start to cannibalize each other.
“It&#8217;s just like we&#8217;ve seen in the history of mankind, where people try to take over lands and they come in with militaries and armies and fight to the death, literally, for who&#8217;s going to conquer that land. And that&#8217;s what happens with rats,&#8221; said Corrigan. &#8220;A new &#8216;army&#8217; of rats come in, and whichever army has the strongest rats is going to conquer that area.&#8221;
&#8220;They&#8217;re mammals just like you and I, and so when you&#8217;re really, really hungry, you&#8217;re not going to act the same — you&#8217;re going to act very bad, usually,&#8221; said Corrigan, who also mentioned that rats are designed to find “food molecules like heat-seeking missiles.”
Inside Edition recently published a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO4pNuiFJhc">video</a> report showing rodents, “emboldened like never before,” swarming a trashcan in front of a restaurant in New York City. Mayor Bill de Blasio told the public only the week before that the rodent problem in the city would not become worse, purportedly in response to rats problems in that same location, reports the news agency.
“As New Yorkers, unfortunately, we know way too much about rats. And we are certainly not going to ever let it get to be a worse situation. We’re going to fight it back,” the mayor told reporters in a press conference.
Inside Edition notes in response: “But our camera found they’re still here, and they’ve brought reinforcements, swarming all over this trash can.”
To reduce the likelihood of coming into contact with rodent-borne diseases, the CDC recommends taking preventative measures, such as “sealing up access into homes and businesses, removing debris and heavy vegetation, keeping garbage in tightly covered bins, and removing pet and bird food from their yards.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Rats on a Subway Platform in New York City

CDC Warns Of ‘Aggressive’ Rats In Lockdown-Linked Rodent Control Guidance

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Robert Redfield said Wednesday that he supports reopening the country and that he believes states are &#8220;ready&#8221; to return to more normal operations, albeit with some key changes, including social distancing and contact tracing.
<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/coronavirus-report/498668-cdc-director-says-us-ready-to-reopen-predicts-thousands-more">Speaking to The Hill</a>, Redfield said that states are making significant strides in bringing down the number of coronavirus cases, and the drop, from March and April when cases peaked, is noticeable &#8212; and something to celebrate.
&#8220;I want to clarify that the community-based transmission, the community-to-community transmission that overwhelmed the public health departments in late February, March, April, that&#8217;s really coming down,&#8221; Redfield said.
He added that &#8220;the CDC is working with state public health agencies to contain outbreaks in nursing homes, among homeless populations, in meatpacking facilities and in other areas. He signaled states will have sufficient testing and contact tracing to follow the White House&#8217;s guidelines for reopening.&#8221;
The CDC is heavily focused on &#8220;contact tracing,&#8221; which involves using data, available through cell phone applications (most of which is provided voluntarily to apps like Facebook), and voluntary connections with individual Americans, to track individuals who test positive for the virus and track their movements, warning those who might have come into contact with coronavirus carriers that they could be in danger of contracting the virus.
The CDC has its own team of contact tracers, but Redfield says the agency is working with state health departments to help them train their own teams, as well.
&#8220;Ultimately, that number [of contact tracers] is going to be decided by the efforts that we have with the local health departments,&#8221; Redfield told The Hill. &#8220;But that&#8217;s ongoing now, and it needs to be in place, operationally ready by October of this year.&#8221;
Redfield stressed that even as coronavirus infections wane, health care officials should be on the offensive, prepared for a possible second wave either or or in addition to an upcoming flu season. He also implored state health departments to improve their guidelines for handling further coronavirus outbreaks, including isolated outbreaks in nursing homes and other residential care facilities.
The CDC was only briefly in the lead of the United States&#8217; coronavirus pandemic response; the issue quickly gave way to a full-government response that spanned agencies and involved its own team of experts. Now that the White House is more focused on the economic implications of the virus, much of the day-to-day pandemic management is falling back on the CDC&#8217;s shoulders.
On Thursday, the CDC released several documents, including updated guidelines for schools, child care centers, restaurants, bars, and subways on how to return to &#8220;normal&#8221; after coronavirus-related lockdowns are lifted. Last week, the agency released a guide on how businesses could disinfect public spaces efficiently and effectively.
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Dr. Robert Redfield

CDC Director: Actually, The Country Is Ready To Reopen

As we continue through the fifth month of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidance on how COVID-19 spreads, saying it “does not spread easily” over contaminated surfaces.
The Blaze <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/cdc-updates-guidance-contaminated-surfaces">reported</a> that the CDC guidance has changed in a “subtle” way, but it is still of interest. “The disease has always been thought to spread mainly through person-to-person contact by respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. But up until recently, the CDC maintained that the virus could also spread through contact with contaminated surfaces,” the outlet reported.
The guidance <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid-spreads.html">now says</a> &#8220;the virus spreads easily between people&#8221; but &#8220;does not spread easily in other ways.&#8221; The guidance also says: &#8220;It may be possible for COVID-19 to spread in other ways, but these are not thought to be the main ways the virus spreads.&#8221;
This is a slight difference from previous guidance, which Yahoo News <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/cdc-coronavirus-mainly-spreads-through-persontoperson-contact-and-does-not-spread-easily-on-contaminated-surfaces-153317029.html?ncid=facebook_yahoonewsf_akfmevaatca">reported</a> as saying the virus spreading in other ways “may be possible” without the disclaimer noting it is not the main way for the virus to spread.
More from The Blaze:
<blockquote>Much of the thinking on the virus&#8217; spread through contaminated surfaces stemmed from a <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2004973">New England Journal of Medicine study</a> in March that found the virus could survive in the air for hours and on certain surfaces for days. In the study, the virus was detected up to four hours later on copper, up to one day later on cardboard, and up to three days later on plastic and stainless steel.
Though the study never purported to say that people who touched those surfaces could become infected, guidance on the matter advised caution.
In April, when the Food and Drug Administration announced that customers don&#8217;t need to worry about contracting the virus from grocery packaging, <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/fda-says-no-need-to-wipe-down-groceries-experts-disagree">CDC guidance expressed caution</a>, citing the study.</blockquote>
Yahoo reported that the change wasn’t based on any new study, but epidemiological data.
&#8220;Based on the epidemiology, we know that the main way this virus is infecting people is from direct contact with other infected people,&#8221; Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told the outlet. &#8220;Contaminated surfaces play some role, but it&#8217;s likely much smaller.&#8221;
&#8220;This is a respiratory virus, and respiratory viruses largely spread through breathing in infected respiratory droplets,&#8221; Dr. Adalja added.
As with any information about the coronavirus, this shouldn’t be taken to mean people shouldn’t take caution when touching surfaces. The virus may still be present and they can still contract it, so take necessary precautions and use common sense.
&#8220;It might be possible to become infected after touching a surface that has the virus, then touching one&#8217;s face,&#8221; Dr. Richard Watkins, an infections disease physician at Northeast Ohio Medical University, told Yahoo. &#8220;That is why handwashing and avoiding touching one&#8217;s face are important. However, this isn&#8217;t the main way the virus is spread.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Spraying disinfectant

CDC Revises Guidance, Says Coronavirus ‘Does Not Spread Easily’ Over Contaminated Surfaces

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that measles outbreaks could occur in the United States because routine vaccinations for young children in the U.S. have dropped since the beginning of 2020. The CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6920e1.htm?s_cid=mm6920e1_x">wrote</a>, &#8220;The observed declines in vaccination coverage might leave young children and communities vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles. If measles vaccination coverage of 90%–95% (the level needed to establish herd immunity) is not achieved, measles outbreaks can occur. Concerted efforts are needed to ensure rapid catch-up for children who are not up-to-date with measles-containing vaccines as well as other ACIP-recommended vaccinations.&#8221;
The CDC continued, “As the nation continues efforts to mitigate transmission of SARS-CoV-2, disruption of essential health services might occur, including in outpatient settings. Many provider offices have transitioned to telemedicine practices, where possible, to provide continuity of care in the medical home.”
“The CDC analyzed immunization data from Michigan, which implemented a stay-at-home order intended to curb the spread of the virus on March 23. The vaccination status of babies and toddlers at 1, 3, 5, 7, 16, 19 and 24 months old was assessed, with each group including an average sample size of 9,269 for the study period from 2016 through 2019, and 9,539 for 2020,” <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/18/coronavirus-cdc-warns-of-possible-measles-outbreak-as-vaccinations-for-children-fall-during-pandemic.html?__source=Facebook">CNBC</a> reported.
The CDC reported:
<blockquote>Vaccination coverage declined in all milestone age cohorts, except for birth-dose hepatitis B coverage, which is typically administered in the hospital setting. Among children aged 5 months, up-to-date status for all recommended vaccines declined from approximately two thirds of children during 2016–2019 (66.6%, 67.4%, 67.3%, 67.9%, respectively) to fewer than half (49.7%) in May 2020. For the 16-month age cohort, coverage with all recommended vaccines declined, with measles-containing vaccination coverage decreasing from 76.1% in May 2019 to 70.9% in May 2020.
In addition to a decline in up-to-date status in almost all age cohorts, the number of noninfluenza vaccine doses administered and reported for children aged ≤18 years decreased 21.5%, and the number of doses administered to children aged ≤24 months decreased 15.5% during January–April 2020, compared with the same averaged periods in 2018 and 2019.</blockquote>
The CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/history.html">has reported</a> of how measles was eliminated in the United States by 2000:
<blockquote>In 1978, CDC set a goal to eliminate measles from the United States by 1982. Although this goal was not met, widespread use of measles vaccine drastically reduced the disease rates. By 1981, the number of reported measles cases was 80% less compared with the previous year. However, a 1989 measles outbreaks among vaccinated school-aged children prompted the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) to recommend a second dose of MMR vaccine for all children.
Following widespread implementation of this recommendation and improvements in first-dose MMR vaccine coverage, reported measles cases declined even more. Measles was declared eliminated (absence of continuous disease transmission for greater than 12 months) from the United States in 2000.</blockquote>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Large Outbreak Of Measles Reported In California

CDC Warns Measles Outbreak Could Occur Because Vaccinations Have Declined in 2020

Measles

Dr. Deborah Birx has become one of the most familiar faces amid the pandemic sweeping the U.S., serving as the Coronavirus Response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
But it turns out she&#8217;s not a huge fan of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least according to one report.
&#8220;During a task force meeting Wednesday, a heated discussion broke out between Deborah Birx, the physician who oversees the administration’s coronavirus response, and Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,&#8221; The <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/as-deaths-mount-trump-tries-to-convince-americans-it-s-safe-to-inch-back-to-normal/ar-BB13QL8U">Washington Post</a> reported over the weekend.
&#8220;Birx and others were frustrated with the CDC’s antiquated system for tracking virus data, which they worried was inflating some statistics — such as mortality rate and case count — by as much as 25 percent, according to four people present for the discussion or later briefed on it. Two senior administration officials said the discussion was not heated.
&#8220;&#8216;There is nothing from the CDC that I can trust,&#8217; Birx said, according to two of the people.&#8221;
The conflict came shortly after an internal government model, based on data from the CDC and other agencies, projected the daily death count would rise to 3,000 by June 1. Birx has taken issue with that projection, saying in a statement to The Post: “Mortality is slowly declining each day. To keep with this trend, it is essential that seniors and those with comorbidities shelter in place and that we continue to protect vulnerable communities.”
She&#8217;s right, at least according to <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/">Worldometers.info</a>. A graph on the website shows the death rate since May 6, when the daily deaths hit 2,528. On May 7, there were 2,129 deaths; on May 8, 1,687; on May 9, 1,422; and on May 10, just 750.
Birx&#8217;s criticism came after the CDC widened its criteria for what constitutes a &#8220;coronavirus&#8221; death.
&#8220;If COVID–19 played a role in the death, this condition should be specified on the death certificate. In many cases, it is likely that it will be the [underlying cause of death], as it can lead to various life-threatening conditions, such as pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS),&#8221; <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvss/vsrg/vsrg03-508.pdf">CDC guidelines</a> from last month said.
&#8220;In cases where a definite diagnosis of COVID–19 cannot be made, but it is suspected or likely (e.g., the circumstances are compelling within a reasonable degree of certainty), it is acceptable to report COVID–19 on a death certificate as &#8216;probable&#8217; or &#8216;presumed.&#8217; In these instances, certifiers should use their best clinical judgement in determining if a COVID–19 infection was likely. However, please note that testing for COVID–19 should be conducted whenever possible,&#8221; said the CDC.
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Members Of The Coronavirus Task Force Hold Press Briefing

Dr. Birx: ‘Nothing From CDC I Can Trust’

Dr. Deborah Birx

Dr. Jeremy Samuel Faust, an emergency medicine physician and instructor at Harvard Medical School, has published a blog post on <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/comparing-covid-19-deaths-to-flu-deaths-is-like-comparing-apples-to-oranges/">Scientific American</a> calling on the Center for Disease Control to change the way it reports flu deaths, suggesting that those figures may be misleading the public about the lethality of the coronavirus. 
Dr. Faust draws attention to the figures many people associate with flu deaths, noting that they are calculated in a different way than coronavirus deaths, and as such, comparing the death rates from the two is like “comparing apples to oranges.”
As Dr. Faust points out, the CDC determines a range of flu deaths by creating an algorithm that accounts for a variety of factors including total reported deaths, estimated cases, hospitalizations, and total presumed unreported deaths, among others. 
<blockquote>In the last six flu seasons, the CDC’s reported number of actual confirmed flu deaths—that is, counting flu deaths the way we are currently counting deaths from the coronavirus—has ranged from 3,448 to 15,620, which far lower than the numbers commonly repeated by public officials and even public health experts.</blockquote>
For example, the preliminary CDC estimate for total flu deaths in the 2017-2018 season, the most deadly flu season in the last several years, has been modeled at about 61,000 deaths. In addition to this figure, the center has also published an <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2017-2018.htm">estimated death range</a> between 46,404 and 94,987. 
But while the preliminary estimate for flu deaths is 61,000 in the 2017-2018 season, the total number of <a href="https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/fluview/mortality.html">confirmed flu deaths</a> is 15,620. Between January 13 and January 20, 2018 — the deadliest week of the deadliest flu season in the last several years — there were 1,626 confirmed flu deaths. 
The Washington Post, which has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/02/theres-more-accurate-way-compare-coronavirus-deaths-flu/">also reported</a> on Dr. Faust’s blog post, notes that the flu season mortality estimate comes from a “model that attempts to adjust for what many epidemiologists believe is a severe undercount” in flu deaths. 
Of the flu death figures, Dr. Faust writes: 
<blockquote>The CDC should immediately change how it reports flu deaths. While in the past it was justifiable to err on the side of substantially overestimating flu deaths, in order to encourage vaccination and good hygiene, at this point the CDC’s reporting about flu deaths is dangerously misleading the public and even public officials about the comparison between these two viruses. If we incorrectly conclude that COVID-19 is ‘just another flu,’ we may retreat from strategies that appear to be working in minimizing the speed of spread of the virus.</blockquote>
The CDC’s <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/index.htm">provisional coronavirus</a> death count, which is updated as death certificate data becomes available, shows that 12,516 people died from coronavirus between April 4 and April 11. The following week, 10,478 people died from the coronavirus. 
According to the provisional death count, which is an average of 1-2 weeks behind, 38,576 people have died as of May 4. According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html">The New York Times</a>, 68,672 people in the United States have died from coronavirus. As of April 29, this figure includes 5,600 deaths that public health officials have identified as probable coronavirus cases. 
The news agency notes that “most states and counties only report figures in which a coronavirus infection was confirmed through testing.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Boston Medical Center Has Many Coronavirus Cases

Flu Death Figures From CDC ‘Dangerously Misleading The Public,’ Says Emergency Medicine Physician

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday updated their coronavirus tracking numbers, leading to confusion on social media about two websites within the organization that show vastly different death tolls.
The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/COVID19/index.htm">website</a> for the coronavirus lists the total deaths from COVID-19 – the disease caused by the virus – as 37,308 in the United States. That’s a much lower number than what has been reported in the media or by other coronavirus trackers. For example, the Johns Hopkins University <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html">coronavirus tracker</a>, lists the number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. at 65,645.
Even more confusing, a separate CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html">website</a> – dedicated exclusively to the novel coronavirus – lists the total COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. as 64,283. The NCHS website was updated on May 1, while the CDC’s coronavirus-specific website says it was updated on May 2.
The discrepancy seems to be an issue of how the data relating to deaths was coded at the state level, that is, what the cause of death on a death certificate says. The NCHS website lists 37,308 total deaths from death certificates listing COVID-19 as the cause, which includes COVID-19 as the presumed cause of death. The CDC gives some explanation why the NCHS data may be different from other reported numbers (emphasis original):
<blockquote>Provisional death counts may not match counts from other sources, such as media reports or numbers from county health departments. Our counts often track 1–2 weeks behind other data for a number of reasons: Death certificates take time to be completed. There are many steps involved in completing and submitting a death certificate. Waiting for test results can create additional delays. States report at different rates. Currently, 63% of all U.S. deaths are reported within 10 days of the date of death, but there is significant variation among jurisdictions. It takes extra time to code COVID-19 deaths. While 80% of deaths are electronically processed and coded by NCHS within minutes, most deaths from COVID-19 must be coded manually, which takes an average of 7 days. Other reporting systems use different definitions or methods for counting deaths.</blockquote>
The CDC’s coronavirus website does not include the same explanation, though it does mention state and local public health officials:
<blockquote>CDC does not know the exact number of COVID-19 illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths for a variety of reasons. COVID-19 can cause mild illness, symptoms might not appear immediately, there are delays in reporting and testing, not everyone who is infected gets tested or seeks medical care, and there may be differences in how states and territories confirm numbers in their jurisdictions.
State and local public health departments are now testing and publicly reporting their cases. In the event of a discrepancy between CDC cases and cases reported by state and local public health officials, data reported by states should be considered the most up to date.</blockquote>
The CDC did not immediately return a Daily Wire request for information about the discrepancy. This post will be updated if and when that information is received.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Two CDC Websites Give Vastly Different Coronavirus Death Tolls

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added six new possible symptoms to its list for the coronavirus. Previously, the CDC only listed three possible symptoms for the virus – fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
On Sunday, the CDC updated that list to include an additional six symptoms, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/coronavirus-live-updates-cdc-adds-symptoms-covid-19/story?id=70351472">reported</a>:
<ul>
<li>Fever</li>
<li>Cough</li>
<li>Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing</li>
<li>Chills</li>
<li>Repeated shaking with chills</li>
<li>Muscle pain</li>
<li>Headache</li>
<li>Sore throat</li>
<li>New loss of taste or smell</li>
</ul>
NPR <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/27/845321155/cdc-adds-6-symptoms-to-its-covid-19-list">reported</a> that the “expanded symptoms list could prove important because with a limited number of test kits available, typically those seeking a test must first show symptoms.” The outlet also reported last month along with others that some patients who had developed COVID-19 reported they lost their sense of taste and smell. Others have reported chills, headache, and muscle pain – all symptoms that now have been added to the CDC’s list.
Symptoms of coronavirus generally appear two to 14 days after one has been exposed to the virus. The CDC still lists “emergency warning signs” as difficulty breathing, pain or pressure in the chest that won’t go away, confusion, and bluish lips or face. If you are showing these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.
As ABC reported, more than 2.89 million around the world have been diagnosed with COVID-19, which means millions more could have had the virus without showing enough symptoms to warrant testing. The Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html">shows</a> that more than 200,000 people have died from the disease, although we know in the United States these numbers include anyone who died while also having COVID-19, meaning someone who was had the virus but died of a heart attack was still listed as a coronavirus death.
In the U.S., nearly 55,000 people have died while testing positive for the coronavirus, though as ABC noted, the “vast majority of people who become infected will show either no symptoms or only mild ones.”
The coronavirus originated in Wuhan, a province in China, though the Chinese communist government worked to suppress the dangers of the virus and cover up its role in spreading what is now a pandemic. As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-a-timeline-of-the-coronavirus-outbreak-and-chinas-coverup">reported</a>, China was aware of the coronavirus since mid-November, but continued to act as if nothing was happening. By the end of December, doctors in the country began sounding the alarm about a new disease, but the Chinese government silenced them through detentions. China also ordered a genomics company to stop testing the new virus and destroy all samples. These actions continued through January and the World Health Organization (WHO) was complicit in taking China’s word as the truth. On January 14, the WHO finally admitted that there may have been human-to-human transmission of the virus. After this, China continued to cover up evidence of the virus.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">subscriber</a>.

Man in self isolation

CDC Adds Six New Symptoms For Coronavirus

President Donald Trump on Saturday retweeted a post from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that warns Americans about the dangers of the improper use of disinfectants and household cleaners.
The move came two days after Trump was hammered by the mainstream media for allegedly suggesting the use of disinfectants to stave off the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
“Household cleaners and disinfectants can cause health problems when not used properly,” the CDC wrote in the post, which included a link to the agency&#8217;s general guidelines for using sanitizing and cleaning products. &#8220;Follow the instructions on the product label to ensure safe and effective use.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Household cleaners and disinfectants can cause health problems when not used properly. Follow the instructions on the product label to ensure safe and effective use. Learn more about cleaning and disinfecting your home: <a href="https://t.co/PW0UbW8KeE">https://t.co/PW0UbW8KeE</a>. <a href="https://t.co/rdcR9QJNIR">pic.twitter.com/rdcR9QJNIR</a>
&mdash; CDC (@CDCgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/CDCgov/status/1253742258853199872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
At the White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing on Thursday, Bill Bryan, head of the science and technology directorate at the Department of Homeland Security, discussed the findings of the federal government&#8217;s study on how sunlight, humidity, and temperature effect on the coronavirus, as well as disinfectants.
&#8220;We&#8217;re also testing disinfectants readily available. We&#8217;ve tested bleach, we&#8217;ve tested isopropyl alcohol on the virus, specifically in saliva or in respiratory fluids. And I can tell you that bleach will kill the virus in five minutes; isopropyl alcohol will kill the virus in 30 seconds, and that&#8217;s with no manipulation, no rubbing — just spraying it on and letting it go. You rub it and it goes away even faster. We&#8217;re also looking at other disinfectants, specifically looking at the COVID-19 virus in saliva,&#8221; Bryan said.
Trump then talked about discussions he&#8217;s had with Bryan, looking at him as he did so.
&#8220;So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light — and I think you said that that hasn’t been checked, but you’re going to test it. And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way, and I think you said you’re going to test that too. It sounds interesting.&#8221;
Then Bryan discussed disinfectant again. &#8220;We&#8217;re continuing with that. For example, on the aerosol side, you notice the figures were 20 percent humidity. We&#8217;re looking at higher humidity levels. We would expect that would even have a greater impact on the virus. We&#8217;re looking at other types of disinfectants. And — and so we&#8217;re — this is a — as a scientific community, we&#8217;re continuing to study the virus to understand its characteristics.&#8221;
On Friday, Trump was asked to clarify his remarks.
&#8220;I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen. Now disinfectant or doing this maybe on the hands would work. I was asking the question of the gentleman who was there yesterday, Bill [Bryan], because when they say that something will last three to four hours or six hours, but if sun is out, or if they use disinfectant, it goes away in less than a minute. Did you hear about this yesterday?&#8221; he said.
&#8220;When I was asking a sarcastic — a very sarcastic question to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside, but it does kill it, and it would kill it on the hands and that would make things much better. That was done in the form of a sarcastic question to a reporter,&#8221; Trump said.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a subscriber.

Trump Shares CDC Guidance Warning Against Improper Use Of Household Cleaners

Donald Trump

The capacity to perform early coronavirus testing and detection in the United States was severely hindered by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which released tests that were contaminated during the initial manufacturing process at the centers’ lab.
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/contamination-at-cdc-lab-delayed-rollout-of-coronavirus-tests/2020/04/18/fd7d3824-7139-11ea-aa80-c2470c6b2034_story.html#comments-wrapper">The Washington Post</a>, which first reported on the findings, has concluded that the CDC failed to fix the problem for nearly a month, and didn’t provide enough information for the FDA to determine that the problem was the centers’ failure to follow laboratory procedures, and not a flaw in the test design.
Regulators told the news agency that they have made a similar determination, with the FDA telling the Post in a statement that the “CDC did not manufacture its test consistent with its own protocol.”
The CDC has since outsourced test manufacturing to a private lab, and in a statement said that the agency has since “implemented enhanced quality control to address the issue.”
On January 11, Chinese scientists published the genetic sequence of the coronavirus – without permission from the communist government – allowing countries around the world to begin developing tests, reports <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3052966/chinese-laboratory-first-shared-coronavirus-genome-world-ordered">The South China Morning Post</a>. (China shut down the lab for “rectification” the following day, publicly released the genetic sequence themselves, and later claimed that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.)
But as other countries began to develop tests to detect the virus, the CDC embarked on a journey to develop its own test, one that was more sophisticated than the tests that were ultimately used in other countries, reports The Washington Post.
The tests used in other countries contained two portions, each to identify a separate region of the virus’ structure. On the other hand, the CDC developed a test with a third portion, seemingly with the goal of increasing the confidence in the results.
But the third portion ultimately slowed down the entire project. In interviews with the news agency, scientists and regulators indicated that the bad batch of tests likely experienced cross-contamination at the manufacturing lab, which assembled the tests in places where coronavirus material was handled.
Unknown to the CDC, they sent out the compromised test kits to 26 public health labs across the country, instructing them to perform controlled experiments with purified water. Twenty-four of the labs reported positive results, stemming from the third portion of the test, reports the news agency.
“My question is – where was the adult supervision?” a former CDC lab chief told the news agency, which interviewed more than 30 people. “A competent laboratory would not have that problem. I don’t really understand how the kits got out without detecting a problem.”
Not only did the third portion slow down the process, experts believe it was ultimately unnecessary.
“Either the CDC didn’t know it was a crisis or they should have pulled the plug on that faster,’’ Paul Keim, a geneticist at Northern Arizona University, told the Post. “They didn’t have a test that worked.”
The CDC first publicly acknowledged that there may be an issue with the tests at a press briefing on February 12, reports the news agency.
“We think that the issue at the states can be explained by one reagent that isn’t performing as it should consistently, and that’s why we are remanufacturing that reagent,” said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, at the press conference.
According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/us/testing-coronavirus-pandemic.html">The New York Times</a>, the CDC planned to perform surveillance testing during mid-February in five major cities, two days after the press conference, but the plans didn’t come to fruition in most places, seemingly due to a lack of testing kits.
“We would be in a far different place,” Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, told the news agency with regard to the lack of early detection efforts.
The CDC continued to conduct tests at its lab in Atlanta, as those were not afflicted with the same manufacturing problem and had been successfully used to identify non-community spread patients.
Furthermore, the agency declined to adopt the tests being used in other countries, in part due to concerns that the other tests had not been approved by federal regulators for use in the United States.
Dr. Anne Schushat, the principal deputy director of the CDC, reportedly later said that the CDC didn’t believe it was necessary to adopt “somebody else’s test.”
According to The Washington Post, complicating the CDC’s manufacturing fiasco, some public labs believed that the tests could be conducted without the third portion, but didn’t, on account that the center’s emergency guidelines prohibited them. Some labs eventually started using the test kits anyway, and promised to confirm the results with additional testing at the CDC.
Ultimately, the FDA couldn&#8217;t determine that the CDC&#8217;s manufacturing process was the problem until the weekend of February 23, nearly a month after the problems with the initial batch of tests were noticed.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/18/health/cdc-coronavirus-lab-contamination-testing.html">reports</a> that at an undisclosed point in time, Dr. Timothy Stenzel, the official who concluded that the manufacturing process was flawed, allegedly made troubling observations about the CDC.
<blockquote>Early on, the F.D.A., which oversees laboratory tests, sent Dr. Timothy Stenzel, chief of in vitro diagnostics and radiological health, to the C.D.C. labs to assess the problem, several officials said. He found an astonishing lack of expertise in commercial manufacturing and learned that nobody was in charge of the entire process, they said.
Problems ranged from researchers entering and exiting the coronavirus laboratories without changing their coats, to test ingredients being assembled in the same room where researchers were working on positive coronavirus samples, officials said.  Those practices made the tests sent to public health labs unusable because they were contaminated with the coronavirus, and produced some inconclusive results.</blockquote>
The timeline suggests that the CDC’s failure to properly manufacture tests adversely affected how quickly cases of community spread were identified by public labs across the country.
At the time the FDA determined the source of the flaw, the CDC was still operating under highly specific testing guidance and a criteria that didn’t account for the possibility of community spread cases, and instead focused on foreign travelers.
“Patients that have fever, symptoms of lower respiratory infection, requiring hospitalization, and a history of travel from mainland china meet the case definition for testing,” Dr. Messonnier said in a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/t0221-cdc-telebriefing-covid-19.html">press conference</a> February 21.
“We are regularly looking at the epidemiological situation globally, with our state and local health department partners, evaluating our case definition to make sure it is sensitive and specific enough,” said Dr. Messonnier. “We want to make sure that we’re targeting our efforts appropriately.”
The same weekend the FDA determined the manufacturing process was flawed, and not the design, the CDC authorized <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/coronavirus/news/patient-and-precautions-uc-davis-medical-center/">UC Davis Medical Center</a> to conduct testing on a patient with no known travel history to China.
The medical center had previously requested coronavirus testing from the CDC, shortly after the patient arrived from a separate hospital four days earlier, but said that a test wasn’t immediately administered because the patient didn’t meet the CDC’s criteria.
According to the medical center’s press release, neither the county nor the state were conducting coronavirus tests at the time. It’s unclear why the CDC allowed the patient to be tested for coronavirus at the time that they did.
On February 26, after receiving the positive test results from the CDC, the UC Davis Medical Center announced that they were treating “possibly the first patient to have received the infection from exposure in the community.”
A <a href="https://bedford.io/pdfs/papers/bedford-ncov-cryptic-transmission.pdf">study </a>out of Washington in mid-March has since found that the coronavirus was likely introduced to the state between late January and early February, “before active community surveillance was implemented.”
<blockquote>We demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 was circulating in Washington State for 4-6 weeks before the first community-acquired case was detected on 28 February, 2020. Refining the time and geographic origin of the introduction into Washington State will require a combination of earlier samples and samples from other geographic locations, including from elsewhere in the United States and from China.</blockquote>

How The CDC Reportedly Botched Early Detection Efforts With Contaminated Tests

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have created a plan to reopen America after the country was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China.
&#8220;CDC and FEMA officials have worked on the public health response for at least the past week, and the resulting document has been discussed at the White House, including by members of the coronavirus task force,&#8221; The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/14/cdc-fema-have-created-plan-reopen-america-heres-what-it-says/">reported</a>. &#8220;The version obtained by The Post appears to be an early draft by FEMA and contains granular instructions for a phased reopening of institutions such as schools, child-care facilities, summer camps, parks, faith-based organizations and restaurants.&#8221;
The <a href="https://context-cdn.washingtonpost.com/notes/prod/default/documents/f99f42b3-55c4-4613-9f9c-3ac174f10a4b/note/1a8a55a6-68f9-4b76-8e02-01779290c1a5.#page=1">plan</a> essentially starts now with the goal that communities can start to be reopened on May 1.
A White House official told The Washington Post: “Beneath the bluster of the president saying May 1, and he’s in charge, and all the other things, there are real efforts to figure out how we could safely and actually do this.”
The plan outlines designating communities in three categories:
<ul>
<li>Low Mitigation – communities where significant spread was never observed, can “re-open” soon</li>
<li>Moderate Mitigation – former hot spots entering controlled recovery, limited mitigation communities observing increased, but contained transmission</li>
<li>Significant Mitigation – current or emerging hot spots, moderate mitigation communities showing signs of strained capacity</li>
</ul>
The plan notes that &#8220;significant advancements in testing, therapeutics, and investments in the public health and health care systems&#8221; have allowed the Trump administration to get to this point where they are ready to get things going again.
Decisions on reopening individual communities – which will be made at the federal, state, and local levels – are contingent on:
<ul>
<li>Confidence that incidence of infection is genuinely low.</li>
<li>A surveillance system that is well functioning and capable of promptly detecting any increase in incidence.</li>
<li>A public health system that is reacting robustly to all cases of COVID-19 and has surge capacity to react to an increase in incidence.</li>
<li>A health system that has the capacity in all respects, including inpatient beds, staffing, an other services, to handle all cases and that is in a position to rapidly scale up to deal with a surge in cases.</li>
</ul>
The three macro-phases outlined in the plan are:
<ul>
<li>Phase 1: Prepare the Nation (now-May 1)
<ul>
<li>National Communication Campaign</li>
<li>Tools to Assess Community Readiness to Re-Open Closed Spaces (by April 15)</li>
<li>Dashboards For Ongoing Decision Support For Adjusting Mitigation Strategies</li>
<li>Coordination Facilitated Across Proximate Geographic Areas By State And Federal Officials In Order To Share Changes Across Indicators And Coordinate Adjusted Mitigation Approaches</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Phase 2: Innovation and Ingenuity Applied to Pandemic (now – May 15)
<ul>
<li>Economic Recovery through Pandemic Management</li>
<li>Economic Recovery through Support for Local Businesses &amp; Schools</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Phase 3: Staged Re-Opening (varies by local conditions – not before May 1)
<ul>
<li>Low Mitigation Locations (first to open)</li>
<li>Moderate Mitigation Locations – Step Down From Significant To Moderate Mitigation, Or Step Up From Low To Moderate Mitigation (Based On Indicators (Not Likely Before June?)</li>
<li>Significant Mitigation Communities (Remain In Shelter In Place Until Thresholds Are Met)</li>
<li>Continuous Monitoring and Mitigation Adjustment ALL Communities (Now Until End Of Spread Or Vaccine Availability)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Tell the Democrat Governors that “Mutiny On The Bounty” was one of my all time favorite movies. A good old fashioned mutiny every now and then is an exciting and invigorating thing to watch, especially when the mutineers need so much from the Captain. Too easy!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1250075668282576898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Portrait Of Smiling Young Woman Holding Open Sign While Standing In Cafe

CDC, FEMA Have Created Plan To Reopen America. Here’s The Projected Start Date And Phases.

FEMA

Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/cdc-director-coronavirus-cases-stabilized-peak-soon">told Fox News on Monday</a> that he believes the number of coronavirus cases is &#8220;stabilizing&#8221; across the country and that the United States is close to the virus&#8217; &#8220;peak.&#8221;
The CDC has been largely on the sidelines during the coronavirus pandemic as the nation&#8217;s infections disease experts take the lead in helping President Donald Trump manage the crisis. The CDC has been focused on issuing guidelines for &#8220;social distancing&#8221; and self-protection for Americans looking to prevent or slow the spread of coronavirus in their states and cities.
The agency has been tracking coronavirus numbers, Redfield told Fox &amp; Friends Monday, and he and other CDC experts believe the pandemic has &#8220;stabilized,&#8221; especially in &#8220;hot zones&#8221; like New York City.
“I think we’ve really stabilized across the country,” Redfield said. “We’re still seeing a small rate of increase in the range of 5 to 6 percent, as opposed to where we were before when it was 20 percent, 30 percent per day; but we are close.”
Redfield added that once the day-over-day numbers begin coming down, authorities can begin discussing how to reopen the country and ease coronavirus-related lockdowns. That moment could come as early as this week.
“We’re stabilized and I anticipate that we will begin to see a decline in the days ahead, but we have got to just continue to take it day by day and look at the data,” he continued. “We&#8217;re going to need to reopen gradually in a thoughtful, prudent way, jurisdiction by jurisdiction, based on the data about what&#8217;s the state of transmission of this virus in those areas.&#8221;
Redfield did caution that, even as cases begin declining, Americans will still have to follow some of the CDC social distancing guidelines and shelter-in-place when possible, and that group gatherings and outings should be limited.
Redfield credited the CDC&#8217;s social distancing guidelines &#8212; and Americans&#8217; willingness to limit their movement and comply with the CDC&#8217;s recommendations &#8212; with significantly lowering death count projections from between one and two million to under 60,000.
“It&#8217;s much, much, much less than that and it’s really a direct consequence of the American public all coming in,” he said. “It&#8217;s going to be critical over the next four to eight to 12 weeks that we continue thoughtful mitigation steps as we begin to bring our country back to work.”
An economic recovery will hinge on &#8220;early case recognition, isolation, contact tracing,&#8221; and available testing.
&#8216;We’re obviously gearing up to reinforce the public health capacity across this nation to do it, but increasing in testing is continuing on a daily basis and it is going to need to be in place in order for us to effectively reopen and keep this nation reopened.”
The United States has around 22,000 confirmed deaths from coronavirus and over a half million confirmed cases. According to readily available data, the pace of new confirmed cases is, in fact, declining. Last week, the U.S. was averaging over 30,000 new cases per day. On Sunday, that number dropped below 30,000 for the first time since the beginning of April.

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CDC, FEMA Have Created Plan To Reopen America. Here’s The Projected Start Date And Phases.

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CDC

CDC Director: Threat Of Suicide, Drugs, Flu To Youth ‘Far Greater’ Than Covid

CDC Sides With Trump, Says Students Need To Go Back To School

Former CDC Directors Bash Trump Over Virus Response, Says U.S. Is Failing Compared To China

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Flu Death Figures From CDC ‘Dangerously Misleading The Public,’ Says Emergency Medicine Physician

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Trump Shares CDC Guidance Warning Against Improper Use Of Household Cleaners

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CDC, FEMA Have Created Plan To Reopen America. Here’s The Projected Start Date And Phases.

CDC Director Says Coronavirus Cases Are Stabilizing, Could Peak This Week

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