Opinion: Governors are angry at Trump over coronavirus. That’s ominous. https://t.co/v8NAAExdzr

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 17, 2020

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Governors are angry at Trump over coronavirus. That’s ominous.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/16/governors-are-angry-trump-over-coronavirus-thats-ominous/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

It’s being widely reported that President Trump angered some of the nation’s governors by telling them on a private call that they should not wait for the federal government’s help in trying to fill increasing demand for respirators for people diagnosed with the coronavirus.

I’ve learned a bit more about this call, and it may have been worse than what has been reported.

One of the governors — Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico — laid into Trump in a sharp, pointed and passionate manner, her communications director, Tripp Stelnicki, told me.

The good news is that Lujan Grisham got results — or, at least, a promise of more cooperation. According to Stelnicki, Vice President Pence has since called Lujan Grisham and pledged to work with her to supply what she needs to handle the state’s response.

This is ominous, because it underscores the lengths to which governors will have to go to get the help they need from the federal government — with items that should arguably be no-brainers already at this point in the process.

Trump’s call with governors got some attention after the New York Times reported this startling tidbit:

“Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment — try getting it yourselves,” Mr. Trump told the governors during the conference call, a recording of which was shared with The New York Times.
“We will be backing you, but try getting it yourselves. Point of sales, much better, much more direct if you can get it yourself.”

According to the Times, Lujan Grisham told Trump: “If one state doesn’t get the resources and materials they need, the entire nation continues to be at risk.”

But according to Lujan Grisham’s spokesman, she went further than that. The sticking point for Lujan Grisham was not just over respirators; she told Trump that she needs more processing chemicals from the federal government to carry out testing on the ramped-up scale she wants to see, Stelnicki told me.

And Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, was particularly frustrated by Trump’s seeming disengagement from needs such as these, Stelnicki said.

Still, Stelnicki said that in the end, the fact that Pence got back in touch with Lujan Grisham is cause for optimism.

“She made the point passionately that we expect access to these things, and Pence said they were going to help get it done,” Stelnicki told me. He confirmed that the state has 21 confirmed cases of coronavirus and has done around 1,200 tests — but wants to dramatically expand testing as quickly as possible.

The reason this is so worrisome is that it’s now been nearly two months since Trump made his first public comments about coronavirus, on Jan. 22, when he claimed that “we have it totally under control.” Yet testing still is lagging horribly behind, some eight weeks later.

Remember, Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who has functioned as a kind of decoder of the administration’s ongoing response, has conceded that the inability to get testing underway faster was a serious “failing.”

And Fauci has even declined to say whether the delayed response may have been responsible for placing us on a path to a spike in coronavirus cases akin to that in Italy, which means it very well might have.

Yet despite all this, governors are still wrangling with the federal government to get the basic supplies needed to ramp up this most basic aspect of our response. That’s not a good sign, is it?

Dr. Rob Davidson@DrRobDavidson
As an ER doc trying to treat patients who may have COVID-19, I can’t underscore enough how much harder the lack of testing is making our job. Yes we’re used to making life-or-death decisions with limited information, daily. But this scenario is very different. Here’s why: (1/12)

For us data is everything. Board Certified Emergency Physicians (ER docs) are trained in pattern recognition & rely on research to know when the preponderance of evidence directs us toward one or another path of treatment that could significantly help or harm our patients. (2/12)

With COVID-19, we doctors have very little evidence-based data on the basic science of transmissibility, incubation period or even what measures would be taken to protect patients (& providers). Our best evidence? What has occurred in China, South Korea & Italy thus far… (3/12)

But the difference with these other countries with COVID-19 is that at the earliest point possible, a huge testing regime was used to determine the extent of the virus in the hospitalized “very sick” population & the “walking well” less-sick population. We don’t have that. (4/12)

Because this novel #coronavirus causes such minimal symptoms in so many young people (including children) — as well as in older people at the onset of disease — we’re not able to determine cases based on symptoms. This is how we managed the SARS outbreak of 2002-2003. (5/12)

SARS had a case-fatality rate of 10%, but the ability to ID cases early & isolate them significantly, limited its spread and kept fatalities relatively low. By contrast, COVID-19 cases are difficult to ID early above the background level of other respiratory viruses. (6/12)

During the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009, the case-fatality rate was 0.1%, slightly higher than seasonal flu. That’s also ~50% less contagious than COVID-19. The point? With a highly contagious virus that’s difficult to diagnose clinically, early testing is critical. (7/12)

Here’s the kicker: WHO had a test that worked, but it was rejected by the U.S. in January. Then, initial attempts to make our own test failed. As a result, as an ER doc I can’t get most patients tested. And it’s now known that the virus has been here for several weeks. (8/12)

To get a patient tested, they have to have traveled to certain countries, had direct contact with a COVID19+ patient, or be ill enough to be hospitalized & have no other diagnosis. There’s no way around it: Tests are being rationed due to the Administration’s mismanagement.(9/12)

Right now we’re not truly defining the extent of the virus in communities. Short of a complete lockdown,we’re dependent on everyone exercising caution when they have even minor symptoms, to avoid infecting those most at risk of dying (elderly & those with chronic disease).(10/12)

The only path forward is a massive testing regime ID’ing relatively healthy individuals who are infected.Only then can containment stop the spread in communities. And perhaps the more “walking well” positives we get, the more we can convince people that the threat is real.(11/12)

To be blunt: Our ability to fight this virus has been seriously hurt by right-wing pundits & the President, who convinced people it’s “just a cold” and will go away “like that.” For us ER docs to do our job, those comments need to stop. And massive testing needs to start. /END.

The first indication that the coronavirus outbreak could jeopardize part of the NFL’s season: the league distributed talking points to teams about season ticket refunds if games are canceled, @BenFischerSBJ reports. Tonight's newsletter is open to all. https://t.co/PJFRx8OMa2

— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) March 17, 2020

NFL postpones OTAs indefinitely, prohibits free-agent visits https://t.co/Izkcpb86TL

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) March 17, 2020

Sosa K@QBsMVP
For the record: I don’t see any way the Rams can cut Gurley. Not because he’s too talented or anything, but strictly the $’s won’t allow them to. They’ll have to find a trade partner of some sort.

IIRC: The Rams met with Josh Kelley, Darrynton Evans, and at least Zach Moss pre-draft from the RB group. Now shopping Gurley hard.

Makes a lot of sense to draft a day 3 RB to pair with Darrell Henderson, building a nice stable of backs that can complement each other.

Adam Schefter@AdamSchefter
Trade AND deal: Colts trade first-round pick (13th overall) to 49ers for All-Pro DT DeForest Buckner, who already has agreed to a massive contract that pays him $21 million a year and makes him the second-highest paid DT in NFL history behind only Aaron Donald, sources tell ESPN.

John McClain@McClain_on_NFL
DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth round pick go to Cards for David Johnson and a second round pick this year and a fourth round pick next year.

Texans didn’t want to re-do Hopkins contract with three years left.

Mike Meltser@MikeMeltser
Violating my own media rule here: the relationship between Bill O’Brien and DeAndre Hopkins was not good, and I’ve heard that from multiple places.

My own take: Bill O’Brien hasn’t accomplished enough in his life in football to have a bad relationship with a tremendous player

Mike Tannenbaum@RealTannenbaum
Trading for Hopkins allows the @Cardinals to surround @K1 with a trio of receivers that includes Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk

The trade puts AZ in position to take an elite tackle at 8. After allowing 50+ sacks the last 3 seasons protecting Murray should be their top priority

Geoff Schwartz@geoffschwartz
Best top of an OT class in years. Perfect time to need one.

ESPN Stats & Info@ESPNStatsInfo
Not many players mean more to their team’s passing offense than DeAndre Hopkins – he accounted for 29.3% of his team’s catches in 2019, 3rd-highest by any player in the league (behind only Michael Thomas and Christian McCaffrey).

Peter King@peter_king
Hmmmm … An average of 30 players per team voted no on the CBA, and it passed. Doubt that sentiment just goes away.

Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
The NFL today set its salary-cap ceiling at $198.2 million.

Because of carryovers, and money saved from Eric Weddle’s retirement, the Rams’ cap ceiling effectively is $205 million. That’s the important number for them.

Billy_T wrote:

IMO, all the major sports league should downsize their schedules. NBA, MLB and the NFL. But more games tends to mean more money

I’m right there with you. I don’t much like the “grow the brand” approach NFL owners are taking now. I much preferred the older view where teams saw themselves as parts of communities. I don’t care if the league makes more money, they have enough money. IMO we’re not that far from (the original) Rollerball.