'Very, very serious': HHS secretary warns 'window is closing' for US to get coronavirus 'under control'

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar warned that the United States is running out of time to combat the spread of the coronavirus as the country sees cases spiking in some regions. On Sunday, Azar credited the progress made in two months since lockdowns began to protect the public from the virus but expressed concern about increased hospitalizations related to the illness, particularly as cases surge in the South. "Things are very different from two months ago," he told CNN's State of the Union. "We now have three therapeutics. We have hospital capacity. We have reserves of personal protective equipment. We're speeding our way toward having vaccines. So, it is a very different situation, but this is a very, very serious situation, and the window is closing for us to take action and get this under control."

Azar said the federal government plans to continue doing asymptomatic testing for those who are not showing any signs of the virus. He also encouraged anybody who resides in a hot spot or hasn't been wearing face masks or social distancing to get tested. “If you have engaged in behaviors in the last couple of weeks where you have not exercised appropriate social distancing, and if you couldn’t make yourself socially distant, worn face coverings, we encourage you: get tested, protect vulnerable members of your household and others," he said. "Get tested because you could put yourself, but more importantly, you could put our most vulnerable citizens at risk of severe complications or even fatality.” The U.S. has surpassed 2.5 million cases of the coronavirus and has suffered 127,000 deaths as a result of COVID-19.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/very-very-serious-hhs-secretary-warns-window-is-closing-for-us-to-get-coronavirus-under-control

'Long overdue': Pelosi says US should have mandatory face mask policy

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed the idea of mandating the use of face masks across the country to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The California Democrat told ABC This Week on Sunday that there should "definitely" be a federal policy mandating face mask usage in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations on facial coverings.

"It's definitely long overdue for that. My understanding that the Centers for Disease Control has recommended the use of masks but not demanded or required it because they don't want to offend the president," Pelosi said. "The president should be an example. You know, real men wear masks. Be an example to the country and wear the mask. Not only to — it's not about protecting yourself. It's about protecting others and their families."

The CDC's guidance on face masks has changed over the course of the pandemic. In the beginning, the agency advised against face masks because of the nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment. It has since recommended the use of face masks outside of the home when 6 feet of social distance cannot be maintained. Several states, including California, have mandated the use of masks or face coverings in public. It is unclear if the federal government has the authority to mandate the use of face masks or if that is the power of each state to decide.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/long-overdue-pelosi-says-us-should-have-mandatory-face-mask-policy

>>9776519

Should be all of them. CDC, HHS, should be just one department..too many of these kind of off shoots from each department..We only need one health department, everything should fall under one, remove the disconnects.