Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Pence Coronavirus Team Announces Daily Briefing [updated with transcript links]
We’ll be back here every day. Get used to seeing us. We’ll bring the experts in to make sure to give you the best and most high quality real time information. Best people in the world.
–Vice President Pence
It sounds like we are really gearing up on testing capacity, from thousands to a million tests possible by the end of this month. With the large expansion Vice President Pence brought his team back to the White House Press Briefing Room, announced the updated numbers: 43 cases not including the 48 brought back from overseas, and 4 new deaths, bringing the death total in the United States to 6. He introduced two new coronavirus task force members: Seema Vera, administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs secretary, as these two programs provide medical care to an enormous number of Americans, and have oversight for procedures in health care facilities within their programs.
The scene in the room was one of a group of seasoned medical experts who had known each other for decades. The two most senior were there for the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Ambassador Deborah Birx:
I just arrived from South Africa last night. Everybody took great care of me. I had computer and phone in record time. . . I have never worked with such incredible scientists and thoughtful policy leaders.
VP Pence controlled the briefing sequence and dominated the Q&A. He transitioned from briefing to Q&A by calling on the first reporter by name and affiliation, then called on a second and finally a third reporter. He did not allow any yelling or posturing, closing swiftly with the words quoted above.
The transcripts are up on the White House website: March 3 | March 4 |
Highlight from the March 4 briefing shows the importance of bringing Seema Vera into the taskforce:
Published in HealthcareVP Pence:
As Dr. Birx will — will indicate in just a few moments with some of the data that we’re evaluating from around the world, it does appear that the elderly are the most vulnerable and especially those serious health issues.
At the President’s direction, as a result, Seema Verma will describe that the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services has issued new guidelines for nursing homes nationwide. We have raised the bar regarding infectious disease control in our nursing homes.
And in addition, Administrator Verma will explain how we are going to focus all of our inspection resources for the foreseeable future on compliance with infection control standards.
Generally, we — we monitor our nursing homes for abuse and neglect. But at the President’s direction, we’re going to focus exclusively on ensuring that those who are in nursing homes — people operating the nursing homes, like many of the CEOs that we met with today — are complying with the new standards to keep our elderly safe.
[…]
But perhaps most significantly, thanks to Dr. Birx’s efforts and leadership, we brought together, today at the White House, the leaders of all of the largest commercial laboratories in this country — companies like Quest that have vast capabilities, logistics and testing capabilities. And we were pleased to report today that they have created a consortium to share information and to share resources and literally have told us that, as they go through what is called the “validation process” on testing that, by next week, individual companies will be able to do, as they said to me, thousands of tests of coronavirus if they are needed and required, and many, many multiples more of that in the not-distant future.
Our objective here, as Dr. Birx raised with the task force is we’ve got hospitals in affected areas and those that are requesting that have kits — we’ve got universities and state labs that now can perform the test on a requested basis. But our objective, ultimately, and as quickly as possible, is to have tests made through these commercial laboratories and commercial providers that your local doctor, your CVS, your MedCheck is able to have a coronavirus test. And that isn’t there yet; we’re working to make that a reality.But again, it’s one more example — it’s not just a whole-of-government approach; it’s a whole-of-America approach. And whether it be our nursing home industry, whether it be our airline industry, whether it be our commercial laboratories, I can speak on behalf of President Trump and our entire task force when I say we are profoundly grateful for the spirit that’s being reflected by companies all across the United States of America, grateful for the leadership at the state level. And the American people should be confident that that spirit of partnership is going to continue to drive this at every level as we work our way through dealing with the coronavirus in the United States.
With that, I’m going to recognize Dr. Deborah Birx for her comments.
DR. BIRX: Thank you, Mr. Vice President. Good evening. Over the — over the last 12 hours, we’ve been able to receive information, both from South Korea and Italy, adding to our China information. And it’s as we thought: The elderly and preexisting conditions have a more serious illness when confronted with the coronavirus.
Reassuringly, in South Korea, no one has died under 30. This is reassuring to us. And the median age in Italy was 81, of those who succumbed. Those who became ill, the median age was 60.
So we find this data reassuring but it also has
has really caused us to focus on the Americans who might be most vulnerable. So we’re focusing resources, attention, and all of our capacity to ensure those who have preexisting conditions and those who are elderly have access to the best prevention and treatment options.The prevention options flow right through all of us to ensure that we have good protective hygiene for our elderly clients around the globe.
Thank you.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
Seema?
ADMINISTRATOR VERMA: Thank you. And as you heard, because of the risk for our nation’s seniors, we are doubling down on our efforts. Today, we put out three memos. One was to hospitals about triaging and placement for patients with suspected or confirmed coronavirus. We also put out some information to nursing homes about limiting visitors to nursing homes, monitoring staff. And then, finally, we put out some information to our state surveyors that are going to be surveying our nation’s nursing homes and hospitals around infection control.
So all of that information went out this morning.
I watched this (because it interrupted The Five) and it was well done. Pence was good, and he introduced a couple of new women on the team, which was good optics. Not that the women were tokens – they are well qualified.
Pence make a point a couple of times during the questions to say that he would defer to the expert and let one of the other people answer. As if to say, “See, Democrats? We have expert scientists and we listen to them!”
Obviously they are working very hard to build confidence and show that they are on top of things. I don’t know what more they could do.
And my wife said that Pence has a good “concerned face” when the others are at the mic.
Understatement of the year.
Your observation reflects how insidious the Left’s perpetual yammering about diversity is. Ricochetti, the bulwark, and last bastion of free conservative thought, must qualify and justify the placement of women on a team of experts. (even with your reflexive “Not that the women were tokens – they are well qualified” disclaimer.)
I have always focused on MLK’s iconic dream about his daughters: “they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
To be clear, I am not calling you out Matt, rather the identity culture that has invaded all of our thoughts. Indeed. That is a virus that might be more dangerous than this Corona flu.
That’s a fair point.
How do you guys know this?
I can’t immediately find a source for this, but I seem to recall that Elizabeth Warren complained about the lack of women on the coronavirus team. Then some women show up at the press conference. They sure look like tokens.
This is the problem with blatant sex discrimination — oops, I mean “affirmative action.” One can no longer tell whether someone in a favored group is competent, or is there to fill a quota.
But the idea that it is “good optics” to have the Vice President flanked by two women.
Sorry, but I really hate the bean-counting nonsense.
I’m reminded of a comment by Heather MacDonald, complaining about a California law requiring certain corporations to have 1 or 2 women on their boards. MacDonald stated that she automatically votes against any woman on a slate of directors, because she presumes that the woman is on the list due to fill a quota, rather than because she is qualified.
They should open each press conference with a word of prayer.
That’d drive the press bonkers. I love it.
I listened to a lot of the brief on Saturday and really had no choice but to feel confident that they’re doing what they can do, and doing some other things besides.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Mike Pence like this, that is to say on task. He is much better with something to focus on, and a much more fluent speaker in that situation. He seems to have a solid grasp of everything going on. Very pleased with the response by the government.
Watch the video, Jerry, and you’ll see the deference the others give to Deborah Birx, and how glad they are to have her there. That she bolsters the confidence of the people in that room is reason enough to accept her as more than window dressing.
I am sure I have mentioned this before (those of you who remember can skip the rest of this). Way back when learning to code meant FORTRAN, COBOL, and (shudder) BAL, when assembling a project team, I would give preference to women because the very fact that they were there meant they were very good. Then came official HR preference policies and the situation reversed; women became suspect because even if they could not meaningfully instruct the computer*, they would not be dismissed.
Affirmative action is poison for its ‘beneficiary’ groups.
*I remember one very bright woman who could write a thorough and clear summary of what a program needed to do (it had everything needed for a detailed specification) but was unable to translate English into Code. Baffling.
I explained why Seema Vera was brought in—for the same reason as the VA Secretary was brought in. She has oversight of the largest medical system in the country: Medicare and Medicaid. As to Dr. Birx, here you go: