The Pandemic Protocol
In this amazing article Duhigg goes through the exegesis of the coronovirus in Washington state and New York City --- comparing and contrasting each situation and their outcomes. This is a well written and thoughtful piece of writing and I highly encourage you to read the whole article.
Here's the summary:
- The article talks about the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), sort of like the CIA of Epidemiology.
- As Dr. Francis Rideo, the main doctor for the Washington state outbreak said, "It's kind of like a secret society, but for saving people."
- The society is made up of doctors and epidemiologists who went through a specific course administered through the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
- Graduates of EIS are now in major administrative health positions all throught out the United States. Six alumni have been the U.S. Surgeon Generals.
- Dr. Rideo realized from its onset that there was a major problem. Washington state had the first death and at the same time an instance of a 15-year-old boy in a far away county, that had no contact with anyone in China and the nursing home that was bulging with cases.
- The CDC had been working for years on how to communicate during an epidemic, and their number one rule was SOHCO (pronouced sock-o) and it stood for "Single Overriding Health Communication Objective."
- At the time Dr. Rideo and his cohorts from the EIS were perplexed as to what to do. They felt that if they said everyone should shelter in place. No one would do it and also think that the advice was crazy. So they did a role-play game with each other trying to figure out what to do or say to get the Washington public's attention. They stumbled on two major things that they felt would also become a national communication concept.
- The first was to shut down all schools. People would realize that something is really up when that was done. It would also make parents have to stay home.
- The second thing they did was to ask both Microsoft and Amazon, two huge Washington employers, to ask that they let their employees stay home to work. This allowed thousands to be off the road and bring daily traffic down to a minimum.
- This caused a tsunami of public rhetoric that echoed throughout the United States.
- Schools were closed in early March and Dow Constantine, King County Executive, said, "We're accustomed to schools being closed when something really bad happens. It was a way to speed up the public's perception of coronovirus."
- In the CDC's protocol called: Field Epidemiology Manual, one of the major objectives was to have a science-based expert be the spokesperson. This was what was not done with the Trump Administration. Instead all of the CDC experts were told that they could not speak to the press under any circumstances or they would be immediately fired.
- Dr. Richard Besser, a former acting CDC director and EIS alumni said, "If you have a politician on the stage, there's a very real risk that half the national population will ignore his advice."
- This is truly what is happening now!
- Dr. Besser also said, "To maintain trust, you have to be as honest as possible and, and make damn sure that everyone walks the walk." Like washing your hands, keeping 6 feet apart and wearing a mask.
- None of which President Trump is doing
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