Washington – right on the National Nurses Day, a leader of the health workers said yesterday at the White House, in front of the president Donald trump, that access to personal protective equipment, such as masks, has not been constant during the emergency of coronavirus.
“It has been sporadic, but manageable … there are certainly areas where access to PPE (personal protective equipment) has not been ideal, but this is an unprecedented moment,” he said. Sophia Thomas, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Speaking about his experiences, Thomas – who works in New Orleans, Louisiana, one of the areas most impacted by the coronavirus – said that he had to reuse his N95 mask “for a few weeks,” but that health workers were they adapt and do what is necessary “for our patients”.
Sitting at his Oval Office desk and surrounded by several health workers, Trump did not like Thomas’s expressions.
When the nurse leader finished speaking, Trump intervened to tell Thomas that, as far as he knows, access to the masks “has not been sporadic for many people.”
The President of the United States invited a group of nurses to the Oval Office to sign the proclamation of the National Nurse and Nurse Day.
At the same time, the White House distributed figures on the personal protective equipment they have shipped to states and territories.
For weeks, from the jurisdictions with the most positive cases of coronavirus – which were more than 1.22 million yesterday in the United States, where over 72,800 people have died from this disease -, health workers denounced the lack of personal protective equipment, like masks and gloves.
In the case of Puerto Rico, the White House indicated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has delivered over the island over 446,000 masks, 63,724 face shields and 278,656 gloves.
As of April 27, the facemasks delivered are divided between 132,134 of the N-95 model, which is recommended for the routine tasks of health workers, and 314,275 of those used during surgeries.
According to FEMA data, 52,200 robes and 1,901 coveralls have also been made available on the island, distributed through the National Strategic Reserve.
In their statement, the White House indicated that President Trump and Vice President Michael Pence “have appreciated the strong alliance” they have with Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced.
Do not disband the “task force”
Trump, on the other hand, pushed back the idea of disbanding, as early as the end of the month, the White House task force on the coronavirus, as he now understands that this government team has “public appreciation.”
Vice President Michael Pence had indicated that in late May or early June, work on the coronavirus would be coordinated at the level of each government department or office, without responding directly to the working group chaired and coordinated by Dr. Deborah Birx.
But, in a tweet, President Trump said the task force will “continue indefinitely” in its functions, albeit now with a focus on “security and reopening our country.” “We can add or subtract people, as appropriate. The working group will also be very focused on vaccines and therapeutic (measures), ”he added.
Trump has stopped leading daily briefings with members of that task force, in which the director of the National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, has excelled.
A poll released this week by The Washington Post revealed that 74% of Americans consider Fauci’s work to have been excellent or good, while only 44% of the population praises President Trump.
President Trump argued that both Fauci and Dr. Birx will continue to be part of the working group.
Trump this week prevented Fauci from testifying yesterday, Wednesday, before the Appropriations Committee of the US House of Representatives. considering that the Democratic majority wants to make him look bad.
But Trump said Fauci may testify next week before a Republican-dominated Senate committee.
At yesterday’s House hearing, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tom Frieden It coincided with the University of Washington model that projects that by the end of this month, the total number of deaths from the coronavirus in the United States will exceed 100,000.
The African American population
Meanwhile, a new study has confirmed that the novel virus has disproportionately impacted the African American population in the United States.
According to the analysis, as of April 12, 12,748 deaths and 283,750 cases of coronavirus had occurred in U.S. counties where the African-American population, which is 13.4% in the U.S., was much higher than the national average, in Comparison with 8,886 deaths and 263,640 positive cases in the others.
The study, which still needs to be reviewed, included scientists from the Schools of Public Health at Johns Hopkins, Emory and Mississippi Universities.
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