Coronavirus: The New Pandemic? - Public Health Grand Rounds at the Aspen Institute

An expert discussion on the emerging coronavirus and the threat it poses.

Featuring:
•Anthony Fauci, MD, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
•Ron Klain, JD, former White House Ebola Response Coordinator
•Nancy Messonnier, MD, Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
•Moderator: Helen Branswell, Infectious Disease and Public Health Reporter, STAT News

The first reports of a novel coronavirus emerged from the Chinese city of Wuhan as 2019 drew to a close. Barely a month later, nearly 21,000 cases of the respiratory illness had been confirmed in two dozen countries. The virus, which comes from the same family as SARS, has killed more than 400 people and arrived in the United States. The World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency and the toll is certain to climb further. How bad will it get, how dangerous is it, and are we prepared?

Anthony S. Fauci, MD, has served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. He oversees a research portfolio of basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat established and emerging infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, Ebola, and Zika. Advisor to six presidents, Fauci was one of the principal architects of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) under President George W. Bush, a program that has saved millions of lives in the developing world.

Ronald A. Klain, JD, is executive vice president and general counsel of Revolution, LLC, an investment firm that manages over $2 billion in assets. He served as Ebola Response Coordinator under President Obama, who praised him for taking on “a challenge that many called insurmountable.” In addition to his private sector career, Klain served as a senior White House aide to Obama, responsible for implementing the Recovery Act, and as chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden.

Nancy Messonnier, MD, is director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She is responsible for overseeing the center that prevents disease, disability, and death through immunization and by control of respiratory diseases, like influenza. Since beginning her public health career in 1995 as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, she has held leadership positions across the CDC and headed cross-cutting laboratory, global health, and surveillance initiatives.

Helen Branswell is the infectious diseases and public health reporter at STAT News. She comes from the Canadian Press, where she was the medical reporter for 15 years. Helen cut her infectious diseases teeth during Toronto’s SARS outbreak in 2003 and spent the summer of 2004 embedded at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[meTWO]

Why were all the live chat responses removed?
This feels like China.

[crissie]

I was flabbergasted that even with the limited knowledge we had that the Superbowl ECT were still held, what is with the long lag with the national health institutions making prudent medical decisions to help people understand and help slow the spread?

[laurenhall]

I survived influenza B, while taking care of my 4 & 5 year old daughter & son with it. It certainly was a challenge & life threatening. Very painful physically & stressful of course for my family. Except no inpatient hospital stay. We were offered, but I didn't want my children around any other sickness. I was certain and determined to know what to do if we needed that intervention. Would have if needed of course. We had just one doctor visit. With one script of an antibiotic. With minimal movement and proper temperature monitoring & medicine reducers, like warm baths. Total silence, no outside sound or interruption of meditation with prayer. We all recovered in about 4 weeks. If this is worse than the Influenza then I'm lost for words!

[kimweaver]

Stay home if you're sick. Stay home if you AREN'T sick. Stay home if you don't know. Stay home.

[mudchair]

As a matter of principle, you should always believe the opposite of what the people at these western Think Tanks are saying, be it on the topic of health, economics, geopolitics or anything else.

[bobcougar]

Ron klain trying to make everything. Democrats vs republican. It's probably not good that after about the 3rd time he spoke I knew that everything he said was going to be politically polarized

[coreyc]

Some people make billions on things like this! I wonder who those people are & what they're in charge of?

[crissie]

With asymptomatic spread would it not be prudent for those to wear a mask to prevent asymptomatic spread, also considering how it stays on surfaces? Could we also not find other solutions re masks..

[mikeroe]

Are you going to hide comments next? Considering how much of the official news revolves around leaked info, it's pretty sleazy to advocate for information control, then hide live chat. They weren't even being offensive, just scared.

[Infinity-gqum]

28:30 please read *in between the lines* the risk is low because we dont see any signs of community spread

[alexrichmond]

The lady from CDC makes sense, the other two are on some other page.

[brynduffy]

Ron Klain = the guy who lowers the draw bridge. There are always those that do this for the horde. The city never falls until such people sabotage the defences.

[maccasnz]

If it is asymptomatic there are 2 choices for picy. Total lockdown and decontamination...or free and open transmission with treatment. I mean how on earth can you control anything when you cannot see it!

[kccourt]

and now Aspen has 13 confirmed cases 👀 Ironic....I’m sorry...I love you Aspen....My heart described by a single US city.... How terrifying....

[boxbattle]

With, currently, a ~2% mortality rate mostly affecting elderly and already infirm, doesn't look like much to panic about. This is a great case study of "What if this were worse". Turn it up to 11, and I don't think we do so well as a species here, globally. Here is what I cannot fathom though: if this thing looks like a regular cold/flu, had zoonotic transmission into humans somewhere around Dec 8th 2019, can stay asymptomatic for 4-14 days, and we have world air travel moving 20, 000 people from China into the US daily ... How can we say the US only has 13 cases? We couching that in "confirmed" cases? This thing looked like a pandemic to me on discovery. (shrug) Glad it is not a bad one. That said ... excellent discussion panelists! Really appreciated this.

[kathya]

How many from Wuhan left and came to US for treatment

[jesuschristiscomingsoon]

God bless, Jesus Christ is coming soon!

[MrPug]

Fauci discusses Zoonotic origin at 1:13:00