Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Letter, Public Health Experts Throw Weight Behind Fauci
The Hill: Almost 3,500 Public Health Experts Sign Letter In Support Of Fauci
More than 3,000 public health experts have signed a letter in support of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci following attacks on him from some within the Trump administration, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Signers of the letter include former Food and Drug Administration Associate Commissioner Peter Lurie, Yale School of Public Health assistant professor Gregg Gonsalves, New York City Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot and former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders. (Budryk, 7/22)
ABC News: Fauci, Redfield And Giroir To Testify Before Coronavirus Panel As Pandemic Worsens
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, will testify July 31 on Capitol Hill, as his relationship with President Donald Trump faces continued scrutiny and the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States. Fauci, who last testified before Congress on June 30, will be joined during a hybrid in-person/remote hearing by two other leading officials from the White House Coronavirus Task Force: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield and Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services Adm. Brett Giroir. (Parkinson, 7/22)
The Hill: Fauci On Coronavirus: 'I Don't Really See Us Eradicating It'
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said Wednesday he doesn’t think COVID-19 will ever be fully eradicated but noted it can be controlled. “I don’t see this disappearing the way SARS 1 did,” Fauci said during a livestreamed event hosted by the TB Alliance, a nonprofit focused on finding better tuberculosis treatments. (Hellmann, 7/22)
In other news from the administration —
The Hill: Gottlieb Says US Could Hit 300K COVID-19 Deaths By End Of Year
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb signaled Wednesday that the U.S. could reach 300,000 COVID-19 deaths by the end of 2020 if the country's death rate doesn't improve. "Right now, we have close to 1,000 casualties a day, so if we don’t change that trajectory, you could do the math and see where we are towards the end of the year," Gottlieb, who served as President Trump's FDA chief, told MSNBC's "Squawk Box." (Johnson, 7/22)
The Hill: FEMA Head: 'We Have A Ways To Go' On Having Enough PPE
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) told Congress on Wednesday the country has “a ways to go” on getting enough protective equipment for health workers fighting coronavirus, though he said the situation has been improving. “I want to be clear: We have a ways to go on making sure we have enough PPE,” Administrator Pete Gaynor said at a congressional hearing, referring to personal protective equipment. “This is not as simple as just throwing a light switch and we just magically make more.” (Sullivan, 7/22)
