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| Aide Posts Cartoon Mocking Fauci as White House Denies Undermining Him | Aide Posts Cartoon Mocking Fauci as White House Denies Undermining Him |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| WASHINGTON — White House officials this week have denied trying to undermine Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, for his stark analysis of the coronavirus pandemic. | WASHINGTON — White House officials this week have denied trying to undermine Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, for his stark analysis of the coronavirus pandemic. |
| But Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff for communications, undercut that message by posting a cartoon mocking Dr. Fauci by an artist whose work has been criticized for its anti-Semitic imagery. | But Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff for communications, undercut that message by posting a cartoon mocking Dr. Fauci by an artist whose work has been criticized for its anti-Semitic imagery. |
| Mr. Scavino on Sunday posted on Facebook a rendering of Dr. Fauci that likened him to a faucet drowning Uncle Sam — in the case, representing the economy — with water drops labeled with mock public health warnings considered antithetical to White House policy: “Schools stay closed this fall!” “Indefinite lockdown!” “Shut up and obey!” | Mr. Scavino on Sunday posted on Facebook a rendering of Dr. Fauci that likened him to a faucet drowning Uncle Sam — in the case, representing the economy — with water drops labeled with mock public health warnings considered antithetical to White House policy: “Schools stay closed this fall!” “Indefinite lockdown!” “Shut up and obey!” |
| The post from Mr. Scavino, one of Mr. Trump’s most trusted advisers, is another example of the Trump administration treating Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as another political opponent, though Mr. Scavino refers to him as a colleague. | The post from Mr. Scavino, one of Mr. Trump’s most trusted advisers, is another example of the Trump administration treating Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as another political opponent, though Mr. Scavino refers to him as a colleague. |
| “Sorry, Dr. Faucet!” Mr. Scavino wrote in a caption accompanying the post. “At least you know if I’m going to disagree with a colleague, such as yourself, it’s done publicly — and not cowardly, behind journalists with leaks. See you tomorrow!” | “Sorry, Dr. Faucet!” Mr. Scavino wrote in a caption accompanying the post. “At least you know if I’m going to disagree with a colleague, such as yourself, it’s done publicly — and not cowardly, behind journalists with leaks. See you tomorrow!” |
| It also contained errors: Dr. Fauci has publicly said he favors getting children back to school but that decisions should be made by taking into account the level of coronavirus cases in each district into account, and has said he is against more widespread lockdowns after pushing for an extensive one earlier this year. | It also contained errors: Dr. Fauci has publicly said he favors getting children back to school but that decisions should be made by taking into account the level of coronavirus cases in each district into account, and has said he is against more widespread lockdowns after pushing for an extensive one earlier this year. |
| The cartoon posted by Mr. Scavino was drawn by the artist Ben Garrison, whose work is often promoted by alt-right figures and trolls. Last year, Mr. Garrison was disinvited from a White House gathering of the president’s social media fans because his work contains anti-Semitic messaging. (Dr. Fauci is not Jewish.) | |
| Mr. Scavino posted the cartoon a day after The Washington Post published an article detailing how officials had kept Dr. Fauci from television interviews and, in their behind-the-scenes communications with reporters, accused him of making several false statements. | Mr. Scavino posted the cartoon a day after The Washington Post published an article detailing how officials had kept Dr. Fauci from television interviews and, in their behind-the-scenes communications with reporters, accused him of making several false statements. |
| When asked on Monday if White House aides were engaged in campaign-style opposition research against Dr. Fauci, Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, said that the White House had simply been responding to questions from reporters. | When asked on Monday if White House aides were engaged in campaign-style opposition research against Dr. Fauci, Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, said that the White House had simply been responding to questions from reporters. |
| On Tuesday, the White House declined to comment on Mr. Scavino’s post, or whether it was a reflection of Mr. Trump’s views on Dr. Fauci, but one senior official praised him for putting his name to the post. | On Tuesday, the White House declined to comment on Mr. Scavino’s post, or whether it was a reflection of Mr. Trump’s views on Dr. Fauci, but one senior official praised him for putting his name to the post. |
| Updated July 7, 2020 | |
| The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization. | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | |
| Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. | |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | |
| Mr. Scavino, Mr. Trump’s former golf caddy who has been by the president’s side since the 2016 campaign, is one of the few aides who has earned Mr. Trump’s confidence. From his desk within shouting distance of the Oval Office, Mr. Scavino often workshops social media posts with the president, and presents Mr. Trump with ideas surfaced from the administration’s broader universe of alt-right meme creators, cartoonists and trolls. | Mr. Scavino, Mr. Trump’s former golf caddy who has been by the president’s side since the 2016 campaign, is one of the few aides who has earned Mr. Trump’s confidence. From his desk within shouting distance of the Oval Office, Mr. Scavino often workshops social media posts with the president, and presents Mr. Trump with ideas surfaced from the administration’s broader universe of alt-right meme creators, cartoonists and trolls. |
| Since the beginning of the pandemic, Mr. Scavino has used his sizable social media platform to enter into controversies surrounding the White House, including in April, when he accused Voice of America of promoting Chinese propaganda. | Since the beginning of the pandemic, Mr. Scavino has used his sizable social media platform to enter into controversies surrounding the White House, including in April, when he accused Voice of America of promoting Chinese propaganda. |
| In the past, Mr. Trump has also been criticized for sharing social media posts critical of Dr. Fauci, including one that called for his firing, but on Monday, Mr. Trump said he liked Dr. Fauci “personally” though he did not always agree with him. | In the past, Mr. Trump has also been criticized for sharing social media posts critical of Dr. Fauci, including one that called for his firing, but on Monday, Mr. Trump said he liked Dr. Fauci “personally” though he did not always agree with him. |
| Dr. Fauci visited the White House on Monday to meet with Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, but it is unclear if he encountered Mr. Trump or Mr. Scavino, whose office is adjacent to the Oval Office. | Dr. Fauci visited the White House on Monday to meet with Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, but it is unclear if he encountered Mr. Trump or Mr. Scavino, whose office is adjacent to the Oval Office. |