Month: August 2020

Dr. Anthony Fauci discusses impact and severity of COVID-19 disparities in African Americans

During a 30-minute interview with BlackPressUSA streamed live over Facebook, YouTube, and www.Black- PressUSA.com, Dr. Anthony Fauci, di- rector of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke of the importance of convincing African Americans to participate in clinical tri- als. He also said that school re-openings should depend mainly upon the location and the infection rate in a given area. Fauci also said a viable coronavirus vac- cine is likely only a few months away.

“The fundamental principle is that we should try as best as we possibly can to get children back to school because we know the psychological aspect of that and the unintended consequences for mothers and fathers who may need to stop working, so we should try to get back to school,” Dr. Fauci said when asked about the impact of the pandemic on the upcoming school year.

“However, paramount needs to be the safety, health, and welfare of children, teachers, and families,” Dr. Fauci added. “We live in a big country. Some places have low incidents and can open schools while some are high. Some areas rate of infection is so high where it’s not pru- dent to open schools. You don’t want to endanger their health.”

A member of the White House Coron- avirus Task Force, Dr. Fauci has at times found himself at odds with President Donald Trump. For example, earlier this year, the president announced that he would withdraw U.S. funding and sup- port for the World Health Organization (WHO). However, Dr. Fauci told Black- PressUSA that he still maintains a close relationship with the organization.

“I still work closely with the World Health Organization,” said Dr. Fauci. “I’m on a weekly phone call with them, and I signed a memorandum of under- standing. We’re all in with the WHO.”

During the interview, which included National Newspaper Publishers Associa- tion President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., Dr. Fauci also demonstrated the proper way to wear a facemask. “Early on, there was a shortage of masks because we didn’t want to take masks away from health providers who needed them,” Dr. Fauci remarked. “It’s easy to get a cloth mask now.”

Dr. Fauci explained further that, “when there are droplets when someone sneezes or coughs, you [are protected]. You can take it and wash it with soap and water or stick it in the washing machine.”

Addressing the disparities surrounding COVID-19 and other illnesses, Dr. Fauci pointed to many African Americans, Latinx, and Native Americans occupying “Those co-morbidities are like dia- betes, hypertension, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and lung dis- ease. It’s very clear that African Ameri- cans have a higher incidence, and the reality is that you suffer more.”

The hospitalization rates per 100,000 people are stunning when comparing African Americans and Caucasians, Dr. Fauci proclaimed.

“In many respects, it’s unacceptable that it should be that way,” he said, noting that the hospitalization rate per 100,000 African Americans stands at essential jobs that provide employees with little— or no — protection.

“On the one hand, there’s a greater op- portunity and risk of getting infected, but even as important is that once you get infected, you have prevalence and incidence of co-morbidities that make it more likely you’ll get a severe outcome from the infection,” Dr. Fauci noted.

247, compared to 53 per 100,000 whites. “In other words, that’s almost five times

the chance of getting hospitalized even though African Americans comprise just 13 percent of the [U.S.] population,” Dr. Fauci observed. “That’s more than some- thing we need to deal with.”

Dr. Fauci added that there are five fun- damental things everyone could do to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. “Wear a mask, avoid crowds of more than 10, keep a distance of at least six

feet, locations should seriously consider closing bars and getting people who go to bars to stop or do it outside, and wash hands frequently either with soap and water or alcohol Purell.”

Clinical trials are vital, Dr. Fauci said. “We hope that we will have an effective vaccine by the end of the year, which means that as we get into 2021, we want to distribute it for those who could benefit.”

“We need to spend extra effort to pro- tect African Americans, and the way you find out if the vaccine is effective is the enrollment in a vaccine trial. It would be a terrible shame if African Americans stayed away from clinical trials, and they didn’t provide for themselves the vaccine that could protect them.”

Dr. Fauci suggested that he wears a mask everywhere goes and demanded that doing so shouldn’t be about politics.

“This is about protecting each other. We’re all in this together,” Dr. Fauci said. “I’m pleased to see that we now have the president talking about wearing a mask where he didn’t before, and the vice president wears a mask everywhere he goes. We’ve got to pull together.”

Whether reinfection of the coronavirus can occur remains somewhat of a mys- tery, Dr. Fauci explained.

“When you get infected with any virus, generally, when you recover, your body has made a good immune response to re- cover,” Dr. Fauci noted. “We know that happens in people who had COVID-19. We don’t know what the duration of that is. There are varying levels of antibodies in people who recover, and what we’re following is how long they last. Some people find that it doesn’t last very long.

“There are other types of immunity that go beyond, and they’re called T-cells or cellular immunity, which may also play a role in protecting people from being infected. Likely a degree of protection is pretty good for a finite period.

“There are no well-documented cases of people actually being re-infected. There have been some anecdotally stories of peo- ple recovering who seemed to have gotten infected, but we don’t know. There’s no real hard evidence that’s happening.”

Crack down on China, but do it wisely

The Chinese Communist Party poses a dire threat to America and the rest of the free world. Party leadership actively covered up the initial coronavirus outbreak— and even persecuted doctors who tried to warn the public. China’s leaders hoarded masks and other medical supplies, which resulted in shortages of personal protective equip- ment in the United States.

This communist malfeasance has cost hundreds of thousands of lives. To prevent it from happening again, the Trump administration is trying to economically decouple from China. White House officials are considering “Buy American” measures that seek to re-shore medical supply chains.

President Trump and his aides unquestionably have the right instincts. However, countermeasures must be based on facts, not fear mongering. Otherwise, we risk over- reacting. To paraphrase our commander in chief, we can’t let the cure be worse than the disease.

Some China hawks claim the communist dictatorship has a “chokehold” on essential drugs, with 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients that make up Ameri- cans’ medicines supposedly coming from China.

Those claims have been widely debunked. Only 13 percent of facilities making our active pharmaceutical ingredients come from China. Of the 370 drugs deemed “essen- tial” by public health experts, only three rely on ingredients sourced entirely from China.

Simply put, America relies on China for some medicines but our supply chain isn’t wholly dependent on the Middle Kingdom. There is no need to overreact with hasty, ill-planned measures.

In fact, America produces most of its own medical supplies at home. U.S. suppliers satisfy 70 percent of domestic demand for medical equipment.

That’s especially true now that companies are churning out PPE, which has been in unprecedented demand worldwide. We’ve seen the success of the private-public part- nerships set up by the Trump administration. Stalwarts of American industry, like GE and Ford, helped achieve the president’s goal of 100,000 ventilators in 100 days— the highest production in history.

Decoupling from China is still a worthy goal. But we can do so via well-planned industrial policies, rather than rushed mandates.

Congress and the administration could start by incentivizing companies to build manufacturing facilities in America. Getting a FDA-approved factory up and running is no small feat — it often requires up to $2 billion and 10 years to complete.

Tax credits or a lower corporate tax rate could sway firms to make investments here, rather than abroad. When it comes to tax support for R&D expenditures, America ranks near the back of the pack.More investments in workforce training would also help. China produces over twice as many STEM graduates per capita as the United States. If we’re serious about dominat- ing hi-tech manufacturing, we’ll need to pour resources into education and job training.

There’s no question that China poses a threat to our public health and national secu- rity. And it’s smart to decouple our economies.

But we can do that without disrupting medical supply chains. Poorly targeted “Buy American” orders, which force companies and government agencies to purchase domesti- cally, would alienate friendly nations like Germany, Switzerland and Canada. If those countries retaliated, it could lead to shortages and higher prices for American consumers.

The best way to beat China is a steady, well-planned push to “invest American,” and build up an innovative manufacturing sector that puts the communists to shame.

Stacy Washington is a decorated Air Force Veteran, an Emmy nominated TV person- ality, and the host of the nationally syndicated radio program “Stacy on the Right.”

Chrysalis House Looking for Personal Care Items

Annapolis— Chrysalis House is currently in need of personal care/toiletry items for women in residential treatment program. Chrysalis House provides substance use and mental health treatment services for women 18 years of age and older, while allowing their children to live onsite during their mother’s program of recovery. Located in Crownsville, Maryland, they serve women from across the state. Full-size, new and unopened donations of the following items are requested: Body wash; bar soap; tampons; bladder pads; deodorant; body lotion; cotton swabs; toothbrushes; toothpaste; Shampoo/conditioner; Combs/brushes; Women’s razors; Hair ties; Bras/panties; and women’s socks.

Please deliver or drop off items to Chrysalis House between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information, contact Development Director Loren Weisman at 410-974- 6829.

Barbara Bush Foundation, Barbershop Books, Penguin Young Readers partner to provide child-friendly reading spaces in Baltimore and Detroit Barbershops

Washington, D.C.— The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy has partnered with Barbershop Books and Penguin Young Readers to provide child- friendly reading spaces and early literacy training to help expand reading opportunities for Black boys in Baltimore and Detroit.

Developed in Harlem, Barbershop Books is a community-based program that leverages the cultural significance of barbershops in Black communities. The initiative, which targets Black boys who are four to eight years old, in- creases boys’ access to high quality chil- dren’s books, and works to increase out-of-school time reading among young Black boys. The program also provides literacy training to participating barbers.

Barbershop Books is currently active in 21 states including California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Texas and Virginia.

British A. Robinson

Courtesy Photo

British A. Robinson

“The news-making events of 2020 have highlighted the systemic injustices and disadvantages faced by Black Americans. We believe that literacy is the great equalizer and it is imperative that we give every family the knowledge and resources they need to live with opportu- nity and dignity,” said British A. Robin- son, Barbara Bush Foundation President and CEO. “We are thrilled to partner with Barbershop Books to support its vital work to empower Black families and communities through literacy.”

Through this partnership, the Barbara Bush Foundation will help Barbershop Books launch new reading spaces and provide early literacy training to barbers in 10 barbershops in Baltimore, and will support 20 existing reading spaces in Detroit. The Foundation will also pro- vide family literacy resources, including access to a free adult literacy app for parents and caregivers who wish to im- prove their own literacy skills without attending classes.

According to the United States Depart- ment of Education, more than 85% of America’s Black male fourth grade stu- dents are not proficient in reading. In an increasingly global and knowledge- based economy, poor reading skills among young Black boys today will pro- duce Black men who are unprepared to compete in the workforce of tomorrow. Four key factors contribute to low read- ing proficiency among Black boys: 1) limited access to engaging reading mate- rial, 2) lack of Black men in Black boys’ early reading experiences, 3) few cultur- ally competent educators, and 4) educa- tional systems that are unresponsive to Black boys’ individual learning needs.

Barbershop Books was founded in 2013 by Alvin Irby to increase out of school reading time among young Black boys. Irby is a nationally recognized speaker and award-winning social entre- preneur, as well as a cultural compe- tency specialist and a thought leader in the field of early childhood education.

“With libraries limited in the services they can provide and some form of distance learning becoming the new norm for young learners, we must think creatively and act courageously to ensure vulnerable children have the reading support they need outside of school,” said Irby. “By increasing access to fun books and Black male reading role mod- els, Barbershop Books endeavors to help create the type of early positive reading experiences that help Black boys to identify as readers and thus inspire them to read for fun.”

In support of this initiative, Penguin Young Readers has donated culturally relevant, age appropriate books to help participating children who have reduced access to community and school libraries during the COVID-19 crisis build their own home libraries. Among the titles provided by Penguin are selections from #1 New York Times best- selling author Brad Meltzer’s Ordinary People Change the World series and other kid friendly titles.

“We admire the important work Barbershop Books is doing to support childhood literacy within Black communities and we are honored to partner with them and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy on this important initiative,” said Jen Loja, President, Penguin Young Readers.

“We’re so grateful to Penguin for their generous support of our commitment to Black communities,” said Robinson.

Dr. Anthony Fauci Discusses the Impact and Severity of COVID-19 Disparities in African Americans

YouTube

#FIYAH! — LIVESTREAM THURS. 7.30.20 12PM ET — DR. ANTHONY FAUCI

During a 30-minute interview with BlackPressUSA that was streamed live over Facebook, YouTube, and www.BlackPressUSA.com, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke of the importance of convincing African Americans to participate in clinical trials. He also said that school re-openings should depend mainly upon the location and the infection rate in a given area.

Fauci also said a viable coronavirus vaccine is likely only a few months away.

“The fundamental principle is that we should try as best as we possibly can to get children back to school because we know the psychological aspect of that and the unintended consequences for mothers and fathers who may need to stop working, so we should try to get back to school,” Dr. Fauci said when asked about the impact of the pandemic on the upcoming school year.

“However, paramount needs to be the safety, health, and welfare of children, teachers, and families,” Dr. Fauci added.

“We live in a big country. Some places have low incidents and can open schools while some are high. Some areas rate of infection is so high where it’s not prudent to open schools. You don’t want to endanger their health.”

A member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Fauci has at times found himself at odds with President Donald Trump. For example, earlier this year, the president announced that he would withdraw U.S. funding and support for the World Health Organization (WHO). However, Dr. Fauci told BlackPressUSA that he still maintains a close relationship with the organization.

“I still work closely with the World Health Organization,” said Dr. Fauci. “I’m on a weekly phone call with them, and I signed a memorandum of understanding. We’re all in with the WHO.”

During the interview, which included National Newspaper Publishers Association President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., Dr. Fauci also demonstrated the proper way to wear a facemask.

“Early on, there was a shortage of masks because we didn’t want to take masks away from health providers who needed them,” Dr. Fauci remarked. “It’s easy to get a cloth mask now.”

Dr. Fauci explained further that, “when there are droplets when someone sneezes or coughs, you [are protected]. You can take it and wash it with soap and water or stick it in the washing machine.”

Addressing the disparities surrounding COVID-19 and other illnesses, Dr. Fauci pointed to many African Americans, Latinx, and Native Americans occupying essential jobs that provide employees with little — or no — protection.

“On the one hand, there’s a greater opportunity and risk of getting infected, but even as important is that once you get infected, you have prevalence and incidence of co-morbidities that make it more likely you’ll get a severe outcome from the infection,” Dr. Fauci noted.

“Those co-morbidities are like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and lung disease. It’s very clear that African Americans have a higher incidence, and the reality is that you suffer more.”

The hospitalization rates per 100,000 people are stunning when comparing African Americans and Caucasians, Dr. Fauci proclaimed.

“In many respects, it’s unacceptable that it should be that way,” he said, noting that the hospitalization rate per 100,000 African Americans stands at 247, compared to 53 per 100,000 whites.

“In other words, that’s almost five times the chance of getting hospitalized even though African Americans comprise just 13 percent of the [U.S.] population,” Dr. Fauci observed.

“That’s more than something we need to deal with.”

Dr. Fauci added that there are five fundamental things everyone could do to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“Wear a mask, avoid crowds of more than 10, keep a distance of at least six feet, locations should seriously consider closing bars and getting people who go to bars to stop or do it outside, and wash hands frequently either with soap and water or alcohol Purell.”

Clinical trials are vital, Dr. Fauci said.

“We hope that we will have an effective vaccine by the end of the year, which means that as we get into 2021, we want to distribute it for those who could benefit,” he added.

“We need to spend extra effort to protect African Americans, and the way you find out if the vaccine is effective is the enrollment in a vaccine trial. It would be a terrible shame if African Americans stayed away from clinical trials, and they didn’t provide for themselves the vaccine that could protect them.”

Dr. Fauci suggested that he wears a mask everywhere goes and demanded that doing so shouldn’t be about politics.

“This is about protecting each other. We’re all in this together,” Dr. Fauci said.

“I’m pleased to see that we now have the president talking about wearing a mask where he didn’t before, and the vice president wears a mask everywhere he goes. We’ve got to pull together.”

Whether reinfection of the coronavirus can occur remains somewhat of a mystery, Dr. Fauci explained.

“When you get infected with any virus, generally, when you recover, your body has made a good immune response to recover,” Dr. Fauci noted.

“We know that happens in people who had COVID-19. We don’t know what the duration of that is. There are varying levels of antibodies in people who recover, and what we’re following is how long they last. Some people find that it doesn’t last very long.”

He continued:

“There are other types of immunity that go beyond, and they’re called T-cells or cellular immunity, which may also play a role in protecting people from being infected. Likely a degree of protection is pretty good for a finite period.

“There are no well-documented cases of people actually being re-infected. There have been some anecdotally stories of people recovering who seemed to have gotten infected, but we don’t know. There’s no real hard evidence that’s happening.”