Patterico's Pontifications

3/13/2020

President Trump Declares National Emergency Over Coronavirus

Filed under: General — Dana @ 3:31 pm



[guest post by Dana]

As you know, President Trump declared a national emergency over the coronavirus today. Here are the highlights:

*FEMA will be able to access billions of dollars, which will in turn, help quicken the response to the virus at state and county levels.

*Interest on federal student loans will be waived until further notice.

*Trump said administration is working to “dramatically” increase the availability of testing across the country.

*Trump explained that they have formed a “new partnership with the private sector to vastly increase and accelerate our capacity to test for the coronavirus. “We want people to take a test quickly if they need. But we don’t want people to take the test if we feel they shouldn’t be doing it.”

*Trump said the declaration would allow “HHS Secretary Alexander Azar to waive “provisions of applicable laws and regulations” to give medical professionals and hospitals the “flexibility” to care for all patients.”

*Trump said that “Azar will have the ability to enable “telehealth” for remote doctor visits and hospital check-ins, and the ability to waive hospital stay limits, as well as obtain additional office and hospital space.:

*Trump said they have “partnered with pharmacies and retailers to make drive-through tests available in “critical locations” identified by public health professionals. Google is working on getting a website up and running to implement the drive-through testing.

And because he can’t resist, and because he believes himself second to none, Trump also took a swipe at Obama:

Trump was asked about the H1N1 pandemic–which former President Barack Obama declared a national emergency over in 2009.

“It was nothing like this and they actually lost approximately 14,000 people,” Trump said, slamming the Obama administration for thinking about testing “far too late.”

“We’ve done it very early and we’ve also kept a lot of people out,” Trump said.

In response to a question, reminding Trump that the past administration had tested “1 million people,” he replied: “They had a very big failure with swine flu. Very big failure.”

[Ed. I’ll have a post up in a little while about how President Trump is still refusing to be tested for the coronavirus, in spite of having been in direct contact with now-infected individuals. It deserves its own post...]

UPDATE: Thanks to commenter Ragspierre, we now know that, contrary to what Trump said…:

Google is not working with the US government in building a nationwide website to help people determine whether and how to get a novel coronavirus test, despite what President Donald Trump said in the course of issuing an emergency declaration for the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, a much smaller trial website made by another division of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is going up. It will only be able to direct people to testing facilities in the Bay Area.

More than an hour after Trump’s press conference, a Google communications Twitter account passed along the following statement from Verily, which is a different company inside the Alphabet corporate umbrella…

Carolyn Wang, communications lead for Verily, told The Verge that the “triage website” was initially only going to be made available to health care workers instead of the general public. Now that it has been announced the way it was, however, anybody will be able to visit it, she said. But the tool will only be able to direct people to “pilot sites” for testing in the Bay Area, though Wang says Verily hopes to expand it beyond California “over time.”

SMDH. He continues to show a remarkable inability to be truthful and accurate.

–Dana

66 Responses to “President Trump Declares National Emergency Over Coronavirus”

  1. Hello.

    Dana (4fb37f)

  2. I’m sure the President will be privately tested. It makes no sense doing so privately which could cause further panic.

    How about we reclaim our pharmaceutical production rather than be at the mercy of China?

    https://archive.fo/hKdsm

    NJRob (da8d2b)

  3. Fort Derrick has a lot to answer for.

    Make America Ordered Again (23f793)

  4. *Detrick

    Make America Ordered Again (23f793)

  5. How about we reclaim our pharmaceutical production rather than be at the mercy of China?

    1) That would make us all poorer.

    2) There is no cure.

    Dave (1bb933)

  6. Dana, apparently at his presser in response to a reporter’s question he indicated he is ‘planning’ to get tested– given the increasing evidence of people who’ve been around him at evets contracting the bug- “when they can work it out” but his answer was fairly vague. Wonder if getting tested and revealing the results would open him up to being pressured to reveal more medical information– we still have no idea why he made that mysterious medical visit a while back.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  7. DCSCA, let’s save comments about that for the actual post, if you don’t mind. Otherwise I will have done it in vain…

    Dana (4fb37f)

  8. This is so day-late-dollar-short-eight-weeks-behind-the-curve-anti-metric-system-increasingly-out-Of-step-w/t-modern-world-typical-USA these days.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  9. @7. ‘Kay. Good luck w/it– he was all over the lot in that presser, too.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  10. Fort Detrick has a lot to answer for.

    To the conspiracy nutters united, maybe.

    Ragspierre (d9bec9)

  11. Mr Trump should totally not get tested after being exposed. He’s too valuable to everyone to waste good golfing time by taking such a meaningless test. He’s really too good for the test anyway and it probably wouldn’t work on someone as great as he is anyway.

    He should wait until he has a temperature of AT LEAST 106 before considering it.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  12. “It was nothing like this and they actually lost approximately 14,000 people,” Trump said, slamming the Obama administration for thinking about testing “far too late.”

    I wonder if he realizes how transcendingly stupid, dishonest and inept that makes him look to most Americans?

    Ragspierre (d9bec9)

  13. He stands in the caboose, raises his binoculars to look at the town he just passed through, and cries, “Forward!”

    John B Boddie (286277)

  14. “It was nothing like this and they actually lost approximately 14,000 people,” Trump said, slamming the Obama administration for thinking about testing “far too late.”

    Trump should get on his knees and pray that only 14,000 deaths come from this.

    norcal (a5428a)

  15. That was not Mr. President Donald Trump you saw. It was a staged Democrat Media Hoax with a crisis actor made up to look like Mr. President Donald Trump.

    nk (1d9030)

  16. Trump says he has learned a lot about coronavirus testing in the past two weeks, and his top advisor said Trump realized Tuesday that the current approach isn’t working. I have no experts on staff telling me about coronavirus (the disease or testing) and I knew that 2 weeks ago.

    DRJ (15874d)

  17. Trump should get on his knees and pray that only 14,000 deaths come from this.

    The only one He could pray to is Himself, no?

    Dave (1bb933)

  18. A vaccine was ready for the swine flu about eight months after it was declared a pandemic, which stopped it completely. Obama had nothing to do with that, nor will Trump if the same happens.

    Who here remembers being tested for the swine flu?

    Munroe (dd6b64)

  19. Large Texas cities have or are getting drive-thru coronavirus testing for healthcare workers who are sick. The State did this (and the first unit deployed was apparently because of the Mayor and the City of San Antonio — kudos to them), not the feds, and there is no reason private industry can’t help, too.

    In my town, there are doctors and labs but the bottleneck is getting the nasal swab done for the test. No one wants to be responsible for setting up a dedicated, staffed hazmat facility where ill people can go.

    DRJ (15874d)

  20. I remember getting screened, Munroe, but I had a classmate that got swine flu vaccine so everyone was looked at.

    DRJ (15874d)

  21. I was not tested for the swine flu nor do I know anyone who was. Nor do I remember hearing about how to get screened if I felt the need for it.

    Munroe (79457a)

  22. I should have said got paralyzed from the vaccine, not just got the vaccine. I don’t remember anyone getting the actual virus.

    DRJ (15874d)

  23. A vaccine was ready for the swine flu about eight months after it was declared a pandemic

    Link, please.

    Ragspierre (d9bec9)

  24. Trump: “I don’t take responsibility at all” for the failure in widespread testing

    Well, you could knock me over with a feather.

    Ragspierre (d9bec9)

  25. This is interesting correspondence from Bergamo, Italy:

    If you are in Europe or the US you are weeks away from where we are today in Italy…There are 2 reasons why Coronavirus has brought Italy to it’s knees. First it is a flu is devastating when people get really sick they need weeks of ICU – and, second, because of how fast and effectively it spreads. There is 2 week incubation period and many who have it never show symptoms.

    When Prime Minister Conte announced last night that the entire country, 60 million people, would go on lock down, the line that struck me most was “there is no more time.” Because to be clear, this national lock down, is a hail mary. What he means is that if the numbers of contagion do not start to go down, the system, Italy, will collapse.

    Why? Today the ICUs in Lombardy are at capacity – more than capacity. They have begun to put ICU units in the hallways.

    If the numbers do not go down, the growth rate of contagion tells us that there will be thousands of people who in a matter of a week? two weeks? who will need care. What will happen when there are 100, or a 1000 people who need the hospital and only a few ICU places left?

    On Monday a doctor wrote in the paper that they have begun to have to decide who lives and who dies when the patients show up in the emergency room, like what is done in war. This will only get worse.

    There are a finite number of drs, nurses, medical staff and they are getting the virus. They have also been working nonstop, non-stop for days and days. What happens when the drs, nurses and medical staff are simply not able to care for the patients, when they are not there?

    And finally for those who say that this is just something that happens to old people, starting yesterday the hospitals are reporting that younger and younger patients – 40, 45, 18, are coming in for treatment.

    You have a chance to make a difference and stop the spread in your country. Push for the entire office to work at home today, cancel birthday parties, and other gatherings, stay home as much as you can. If you have a fever, any fever, stay home. Push for school closures, now. Anything you can do to stop the spread, because it is spreading in your communities – there is a two week incubation period – and if you do these things now you can buy your medical system time.

    And for those who say it is not possible to close the schools, and do all these other things, locking down Italy was beyond anyone’s imagination a week ago.

    Dana (4fb37f)

  26. How much testing was there in 1976? I recall rapid strep tests in the late 1980’s with my first kid, but I don’t recall rapid flu tests then.

    DRJ (15874d)

  27. Thanks for that, Ragspierre, I’m going to add it to the post.

    Dana (4fb37f)

  28. “Link, please.”
    Ragspierre (d9bec9) — 3/13/2020 @ 5:06 pm

    Straight from Wikipedia.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_flu_pandemic_in_the_United_States?wprov=sfti1

    Munroe (79457a)

  29. Saying it nicely:

    Susan Collins: Trump should ‘step back’ from coronavirus messaging

    DRJ (15874d)

  30. correspondence from Bergamo, Italy:

    PS. Cari amici, we also heard that there was a war going on in Syria, and to be on the safe side, we surrendered.

    nk (1d9030)

  31. Straight from Wikipedia.

    Well, I skimmed your wikiwork, and didn’t find what you said. Not saying I couldn’t miss it…

    Seems swine flu was around a long time before being declared a pandemic.

    Ragspierre (d9bec9)

  32. Thanks for that, Ragspierre, I’m going to add it to the post.

    Thank you, ma’am.

    Ragspierre (d9bec9)

  33. “Well, I skimmed your wikiwork, and didn’t find what you said. Not saying I couldn’t miss it…”
    Ragspierre (d9bec9) — 3/13/2020 @ 6:08 pm

    April 2009 to December 2009 is eight months. It couldn’t be clearer.

    For CV, at the same rate I guess we should expect a vaccine by October. If not, it’s Trump’s fault.

    Munroe (dd6b64)

  34. The initial cases were in April, the vaccine started being given in October.

    Kishnevi (98ea1b)

  35. Sorry, hit the wrong button…
    Initial US cases were late March/early April, WHO had already declared a pandemic by then. The vaccine was available 7 months later.

    Kishnevi (98ea1b)

  36. Oh, come on. Google is Alphabet and Alphabet is Google for all intents and purposes. Not knowing the lines of control to one of whose-ever MANY MANY subsidiaries and internal groups isn’t “lying” — it’s not giving a damn. And a damn isn’t worth giving.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  37. Several vaccines are in development and will be ready soon. The delay isn’t as much from making vaccines as it is in testing them in clinical trials. Eight months wasn’t long enough to do both in 1976, which may be why Dr Fauci said a vaccine is a year or more away now.

    DRJ (15874d)

  38. Is the Bay Area the U.S., Kevin?

    Ragspierre (d9bec9)

  39. Trump should get on his knees and pray that only 14,000 deaths come from this.

    Florida, alone, will have more.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  40. For CV, at the same rate I guess we should expect a vaccine by October. If not, it’s Trump’s fault.

    OK. If you insist…

    Ragspierre (d9bec9)

  41. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/398887965302091776

    It’s interesting how much Trump hated Obama. Literally everything was Obama’s responsibility when Trump was on the sidelines. This tweet is very amusing in light of Trump’s ‘nothing is my fault guys’ approach to this crisis.

    Dustin (9c58b3)

  42. There are a finite number of drs, nurses, medical staff and they are getting the virus. They have also been working nonstop, non-stop for days and days. What happens when the drs, nurses and medical staff are simply not able to care for the patients, when they are not there?

    And this is why I say now, let us plan. We will need 5 million volunteers to provide basic care for a lot of people. We will need beds in every gymnasium, church auditorium, union hall — basically any large enclosed space. And people to take care of the patients there.

    It won’t happen, of course. We are too self-involved. We as a nation have not been called to sacrifice, to something greater than ourselves, in three generations, maybe four. And so we run down to the grocery, or to the Walmart, and empty the shelves so we can hole up for two weeks. And maybe this is a good idea for us — and it WILL lessen the contagion — but we will wonder (as the writer in that piece does) why “they” aren’t handling this better.

    There is no “they.”

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  43. And, we reflect Trump in our selfishness and self-centeredness. It is no mystery why he leads us, he IS us. For him to call us to sacrifice wouldn’t pass the laugh test.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  44. So, in a way, our failure to get up off our butts and help our neighbor will be Trump’s fault too.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  45. I agree with Kevin that now is the time to think about who is going to be providing care. It wouldn’t be too hard to create some screening/online training for basic care of coronavirus patients for pop up hospitals. A whole lot of veterans have limited medical training up to IVs.

    Dustin (9c58b3)

  46. And this is why I say now, let us plan.

    The UK NHS does– a ‘Dad’s Army’ of retired physicians and medical staff. If the term escapes you- Google it. Was a great show.

    Once again, America’s healthcare system is weeks behind– and behind the curve.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  47. Is the Bay Area the U.S., Kevin

    This is closer to mistaking Cupertino and Sunnyvale.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  48. Once again, America’s healthcare system is weeks behind– and behind the curve.

    We generally can’t, given state licensing rules. Retired people often retire to a different state, and even if they stay in the same state they let the license lapse given all the “continuing ed” requirements to stay current.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  49. Really this whole Alphabet/Google thing is gotcha journalism at it’s worst and is beneath this blog.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  50. I laughed at DCSCA’s report on his local store’s empty shelves. Then I went down to mine, and not only were cleaning products and TP gone, but most of the canned goods. Though why anyone would buy (or eat) canned string beans or spinach is beyond me.

    Clearly everyone is headed to the family bunker and devil take the hindmost.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  51. @52. The tip-off outside the store was every shopping cart had been taken and in use– in the middle of a Friday afternoon. That just never happens on a weekday.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  52. @50. See– behind the curve.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  53. Really this whole Alphabet/Google thing is gotcha journalism at it’s worst and is beneath this blog.

    So, to your mind it is too hard for Duh Donald or his staff to know the RIGHT name of the RIGHT company that he’s flacking as a private sector partner?

    Wow. Talking about “beneath”.

    Ragspierre (d9bec9)

  54. So, been reading other items on this thing. Here is a great article on Italy’s experience — what they did and what they didn’t do and where they are now: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/suddenly-the-er-is-collapsing-a-doctors-stark-warning-from-italys-coronavirus-epicentre

    The number one thing is to slow the spread. It may get everyone eventually, but if it gets everyone right away, the medical system will crater. Which is what is happening in Italy, and why they opted for their Hail-Mary lockdown. They should have started far earlier, but they thought it was “just the flu.”

    “The war has literally exploded and battles are uninterrupted day and night. But now that need for beds has arrived in all its drama. One after the other the departments that had been emptied fill up at an impressive pace.

    “The boards with the names of the patients, of different colours depending on the operating unit, are now all red and instead of surgery you see the diagnosis, which is always the damned same: bilateral interstitial pneumonia.

    “Now, explain to me which flu virus causes such a rapid drama. [post continues comparing Covid19 to flu, link here]. And while there are still people who boast of not being afraid by ignoring directions, protesting because their normal routine is ‘temporarily’ put in crisis, the epidemiological disaster is taking place. And there are no more surgeons, urologists, orthopedists, we are only doctors who suddenly become part of a single team to face this tsunami that has overwhelmed us.

    “Cases are multiplying, we arrive at a rate of 15-20 admissions per day all for the same reason. The results of the swabs now come one after the other: positive, positive, positive. Suddenly the E.R. is collapsing.

    “Reasons for the access always the same: fever and breathing difficulties, fever and cough, respiratory failure. Radiology reports always the same: bilateral interstitial pneumonia, bilateral interstitial pneumonia, bilateral interstitial pneumonia. All to be hospitalized.

    “Someone already to be intubated and go to intensive care. For others it’s too late… Every ventilator becomes like gold: those in operating theatres that have now suspended their non-urgent activity become intensive care places that did not exist before.

    Will the US suffer this same disaster?

    Maybe I’m wrong about volunteers and sacrifice. Maybe we don’t need volunteers, we need to isolate ourselves, each and every one. Maybe the hoarders on on the right track. But people need to work — most are not far from being broke — and someone will go to work sick and that will be the end of isolation.

    I am not happy with any of this.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  55. So, to your mind it is too hard for Duh Donald or his staff to know the RIGHT name of the RIGHT company that he’s flacking as a private sector partner?

    A difference that makes no difference IS no difference. Your criticism is right up there with correcting spelling on Twitter.

    Your thought process seems to be:

    1. Trump is a dolt and I hate him.
    2. Trump was inaccurate.
    3. LIAR !! LIAR!! STOP THE PRESSES!!!

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  56. Your thought process seems to be…

    Thread-jack with my stream of conscious, even if it means insulting Patterico and company.

    Like I said, it is pure condescension on the part of T-rump AND his staff to:

    1. name the wrong company you are bragging about being a “partner”

    2. announce they are doing something they are NOT (US v Bay Area)

    And you equate that with spelling on twatter. No wonder we have Duh Donald in his present iteration. We’ve been dumbed down.

    Ragspierre (d9bec9)

  57. You will be needing to retract your update, Dana

    https://twitter.com/Google_Comms/status/1238989156610707456

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  58. Google’s tweets:

    “We are fully aligned and continue to work with the US Government to contain the spread of COVID-19, inform citizens, and protect the health of our communities. (1/6)

    Google is partnering with the US Government in developing a nationwide website that includes information about COVID-19 symptoms, risk and testing information. (2/6)

    This is in addition to other measures we are taking, including: a Google “home page promotion” to promote greater awareness of simple measures citizens can take to prevent the spread of the disease; (3/6)

    “Work being done by our sister company Verily to launch a pilot website that will enable individuals to do a risk assessment and be scheduled for testing at sites in the Bay Area; (4/6)

    “Promoting authoritative information through Google Search and YouTube; taking measures to protect users from misinformation, including phishing, conspiracy theories, malware and misinformation; (5/6)

    “Rolling out free access to our advanced Hangouts Meet video-conferencing capabilities to all G Suite and G Suite for Education customers globally until 7/01/20; advancing health research and science; and financially supporting global relief efforts.” – Google Spokesperson (6/6)

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  59. Ragspiere managed to track down anti-Trump misinformation. How shocking.

    Make America Ordered Again (23f793)

  60. What kind of dolts can’t seem to put things in chronological order?

    Oh, T-rump sucking dolts!

    Ragspierre (d9bec9)

  61. With regard to isolation: Because the number of cases can be expected to go up with time, today could be a better day to up and about than any day in the next several weeks or months.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4c3a1)

  62. Should it be a crime to break quarantine if you have tested positive?

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  63. Yes, with specific penalties.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  64. Google is not working with the US government in building a nationwide website to help people determine whether and how to get a novel coronavirus test,

    It is now.

    https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-confirms-it-is-now-building-a-nationwide-coronavirus-info-site/355162

    Unfactual information from the mouth of Donald Trump that came true.

    There was nothing preposterous about this, except getting all that work done by Sunday night.

    Donald Trump wasn’t the only person who thought this was going to happen. Debbie Birx thought so too:

    https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-vice-president-pence-members-coronavirus-task-force-press-conference-3

    So we want to also announce this new approach to testing, which will start in the screening website up here, facilitated by Google, where clients and patients and people that have interest can go, fill out a screening questionnaire — move down for symptoms or risk factors, yes. They would move down this and be told where the drive-thru options would be for them to receive this test. The labs will then move to the high-throughput automated machines to be able to provide results in 24 to 36 hours.

    Writing the screening questionnaire, which could be re-written every two or three days, should take no more time tan it takes to write the questionnaire that’s the bottleneck; then all you need is to integrate with some GS map software and a database that lists test sites and locations – maybe you could jump to a separate web site setup by the testing people. The only trouble was there were no such testing locations except one or two in New York State, one by New Rochelle. A caveat would be that the test had to be ordered by a doctor, but you could make that a second part of the questionnaire, or it would tell you you should get a doctor or medical care center to order one. (That’s whee the result would go) or, alternatively, you probably don’t need one. And perhaps a site was limiting itself to people from certain location.

    But this really would be no trouble at all.

    Some White House staffer was responsible for the mistake apparently.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4c3a1)


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