Trump’s top official Brett Giroir says We Can Control the Coronavirus Pandemic

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US President Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff Mark Meadows earlier said, “We’re not going to control the pandemic”. Now, a top Trump administration health official, Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir said, “I think we can control the pandemic. I want to be clear that what we have done, what the American people have done, has been able to put out very significant outbreaks, all across the Deep South”. He also underscored what he calls the “3 W’s”, watching your distance from other people, wearing masks when you can’t keep away, and frequently washing your hands. Giroir has indicated the data are pretty clear that while such simple measures cannot completely defeat the virus, they can control it.

Giroir added that the nail in the coffin for the coronavirus will come when vaccines are approved and widely distributed. His comments highlight open differences between government health officials and some in the top circle of White House advisers to President Donald Trump who believes Americans can achieve widespread immunity by returning to normal life while protecting the elderly and others highly vulnerable. Point to be noted that President Trump managed a fast-paced schedule of public rallies in the closing days of the campaign. Most attendees appear to take no precautions and didn’t follow the health guidelines. Giroir is a senior political appointee at the Department of Health and Human Services. He is a pediatric critical care specialist but has also held high-level management posts and conducted scientific research.

It is noteworthy that Giroir has been working to increase coronavirus testing in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, which account for more than 40% of deaths from COVID-19. On Monday, his office announced new testing support for states bearing the brunt of the latest surge in cases. Meadows informed CNN on Sunday that “W we’re not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics, and other mitigation areas. Because it is a contagious virus, just like the flu, it’s contagious”. But scientists indicated that public health measures have already been shown to work. It is important that the number of new cases a day dropped from about 40,000 to around 20,000.