Quick News: Senate Hearing on US COVID Response

On Wednesday September 23, the Senate held a hearing on the US response to the novel Coronavirus pandemic. The experts present were, Dr. Anthony Fauci head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Robert Redfield head of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), ADM Brett Girior the Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department for Health and Human Services (HHS), and Dr. Stephen Hahn commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Here are some of the main points from the experts on the panel:

Fauci 

When asked about whether it was his intention to shut down the country entirely to control the virus, Fauci responded no. Instead, he emphasized the need for smart policy to control the virus while keeping some organizations and businesses open. Fauci also recommended against sending college students home if there are outbreaks on campus. He advised universities to keep students at school on lockdown to prevent the spread in their respective communities. 

Redfield

Dr. Redfield emphasized the progress being made to contain the virus while also warning of a potential surge in the fall. He criticized  "years of underinvestment" in medical services by the government and called for renewed focus on medical infrastructure and response mechanisms. He also noted that as of now, still 90% of the population remains susceptible to the virus and thus pandemic-management efforts are not bolstered by any form of herd immunity.

Grioir

ADM. Giroir reinforced the importance of wearing masks, washing hands, and social distancing saying, "we must continue our disciplined mitigation efforts" to mitigate new infections and deaths. He explained that 106 million tests have been carried out in the US thus far and that new technologies are already being deployed to test widely at low cost. Further, he explained that all eligible nursing homes have received "Point of Care" instruments and tests. The HHS has also implemented "Surge" testing points in cities where outbreaks are driven by young asymptomatic people. 

Hahn

Dr. Hahn defended the apolitical and scientific role of the FDA. His comments were largely responses to rampant misinformation about the FDA and the fears that the Trump administration might strong-arm the FDA into granting an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to an unsafe vaccine which has not passed Phase III testing. He emphasized that the FDA would never approve a vaccine that he or his family would not personally take.

When asked, all experts confirmed they would take any vaccine approved by the FDA and would encourage their families to do the same. ADM Girior also clarified that taking the vaccine may not be appropriate for everyone and people with underlying conditions should speak to their doctor first.

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The following is opinion and not strictly news

A Word on Rand Paul 

Senator from Kentucky Rand Paul made misinformed comments about COVID-19 accompanied by his standard pearl-clutching about basic government policy. Paul referenced what he perceives to be "authoritarian" policies instituted to protect the public-- despite the fact that the federal government has done relatively little in way of public policy. Instead, the federal government abdicated that responsibility to individual states while spreading misinformation and bidding against them for supplies.

Paul also compared (spuriously) the United States' deaths by population to Sweden's, claiming that since Sweden had no significant shut-down and also has fewer deaths by population the US should not have shut down at all. To this Fauci explained that compared to its Scandinavian neighbors (a more apt comparison) Sweden is doing much worse in terms of deaths. Fauci credited the difference to the effective and strict health policies instituted by Sweden's neighbors.

Rand Paul also claimed the New York response to COVID has been terrible. This was true for a while, but Fauci explained that the current response in New York has been remarkable-- especially given their population density. Paul then falsely claimed this could be due to cross-immunity from diseases like the common cold combined with some degree of herd immunity from previous COVID cases. Fauci responded with a barely detectable edge, "you are not listening to the CDC director". He said Paul's claim was not backed by science and cited a recent study claiming that there was little to no cross-immunity.

Rand Paul has repeatedly spread COVID misinformation and sowed distrust in public institutions on the basis of his personal ideology. While Paul is a physician, it is obvious that his politics are taking precedence over his medical experience. There is no other excuse for his castigating "authoritarian" public health policy while spouting half-truths and poorly-vetted science.