Virus Inside the Wire

Donald Trump shocked the world when he announced overnight via Twitter that he and the ...

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Donald Trump shocked the world when he announced overnight via Twitter that he and the first lady tested positive for the coronavirus, a startling development in an already news-saturated week for the president.

Who better to discuss these momentous developments than Dr. Jonathan Reiner—a cardiologist, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, former physician to Vice President Dick Cheney, and a consultant to the White House Medical Unit during the Bush, Obama, and Trump years?

Reiner joined Sarah and Steve for an insightful discussion that covered virtually all aspects of this significant development—from the details of the spread of the virus to the protocols of the White House Medical Unit, from the hopefully distant possibility of the need for continuity-of-government measures to the cardiological implications of COVID-19.

How did we get to this nightmare scenario? “It’s a failure of common sense,” Reiner tells our podcast hosts. “It’s a failure of masking.” Frankly speaking, the White House could have avoided this situation by limiting staffers’ and visitors’ proximity to the president, conducting meetings via secure video link, and instituting a universal mask-wearing mandate for all White House staffers at all times. None of this happened. Trump has downplayed the risk of the coronavirus for months now, interacting with White House staffers on a daily basis without a mask. “For those of us who know how viruses are spread—and it’s not that complicated—it was horrifying to see all these people in close proximity to the president,” Dr. Reiner said. “I thought it was really malpractice for the White House to allow so many people so close to the president.”

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  1. Avatar photo
    DJ

    There needs to be some qualifiers around masks. When I see someone on the beach ( empty by the way) wearing a mask, you have to wonder what messaging has gotten through? I am all for inside masking, or at school, or on a plane. It makes sense ( especially with the CDC acknowledgement...finally, today.) However if I can stay 6 feet away from someone outside, why do I need to wear a mask? Or even if I can't, exposure is within 6 feet for 15 minutes. My biggest complaint is that government has not dictated the nuance around the science itself or even the rules. Overall, while 200'000 deaths is tragic, we don't take this severe approach when it comes to the opiod epidemic (drugs themselves) , alcoholism, heart disease, speed limit enforcement and others...all of which have killed more and will continue to kill more. 998/1000 people will survive this. Is it worth conditioning one another to view someone else as a carrier? Further, why is physical health being prioritized over spiritual and mental health?

    I also don't want to be callous. I know some members have lost loved ones, and there is a wildcard there in how this virus affects everyone. However, let's not those deaths be in vain to changes that will be detrimental in other ways for years to come.

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    Scott Stefanski

    I'm pro mask. I believe masking should be done by all responsible people in public, and I do it myself whenever I go out in public. However, the doctor said something I didn't understand and haven't seen reported elsewhere: that masks aren't just to protect others but to protect yourself from catching it. I am not a doctor or a physicist but all the reporting I read indicated just the reverse, and I haven't been able to track down information to the contrary, despite his assertion. Again, he's a doctor; I'm not, so I am not saying he is wrong. I'm just very confused by his assertion because I don't see other doctors backing it up.

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    Rick Harlan

    I'm glad Dr. Reiner poured cold water on the "herd immunity" nonsense.
    Prior to 2020, the term was only used to refer to the outcome of a vaccination effort. In never meant "infect them all and let God take the ones he wants."
    The fact that some doctors got away with this lexical sleight of hand is a scandal in itself.

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  4. Avatar photo
    Paul Schmidt

    I'm a physician who did residency around the same time and same place as Dr. Conley. He is not a career Army officer but a commander in the Navy. Also, President Trump with his last BMI of 31 or so at his last physical doesn't meet criteria for Morbid Obesity and we are trying to get away from that term anyway (better would be Class 1 Obesity). The rest of what Dr. Reiner said is essentially correct.

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  5. Lori Meldrum

    The good doctor was adamant that wearing a mask would have/will save lives. I get the part about how a respiratory viruses are spread. What would be very helpful to know is why other medical doctors are just as adamant that masks are useless. He should have been asked to provide the specific information about how a mask offers protection in addition to distancing and frequent thorough hand washing. Are there any studies that confirm the efficacy of masks? Conducted by whom? Where and when?

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    1. Avatar photo
      Rick Harlan

      The country is full of doctors. Many of them are quacks. They know there is a market for antimask crank opinion.

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  6. Andrew Ratts

    I would liked him to provide medical info for which he is qualified, and not shape it with political commentary.

    For example the whole use of the military term “inside the wire” — like al Quaeda fighters have breached the White House fence is overheated and over the top. Tell me that does not reflect the good doctor’s political views generally.

    Obviously, the strategy of testing to determine who has it and to keep it outside the White House bubble failed. That would be a question to discuss, how it could be remedied.

    The test of the presentation should be that at the end I could not tell the doctor’s political view. He failed within the first 5 minutes

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  7. Avatar photo
    Angie

    I enjoyed that he had a lot of good information and good ideas about things medical...I have a Minnie Mouse Mask, of course, ( which was given to me by a friend at work)...lol...and also a Flowery one...but, because I don't want them to wear out, I only use them for special occasions, otherwise plain white ones...

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  8. Avatar photo
    Viola Larson

    Excellent podcast thank you.

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  9. Eric B

    At 41 minutes in the doctor says "We needed to tell the people to tell the public that wearing a mask will prevent you from dying of this virus" which is untrue. Why does he think lying to people will help when lying to people has shown to be damaging?

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    1. Eric B

      N95, fitted properly, will get you very close to not getting the virus via aerosol.

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  10. Avatar photo
    TheKingPrawn

    Great, even more confusion about masking.

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