Politicians are testing positive for COVID-19 while federal pandemic funds dwindle : NPR

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Among the strongest political figures within the nation’s capital contracted COVID-19 this week – Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser. Lots of them examined constructive after they attended the Gridiron Membership dinner every week in the past, an annual occasion for political and media elite. And it displays a surge in instances in some components of the nation. NPR’s Selena Simmons-Duffin joins us.

SELENA SIMMONS-DUFFIN, BYLINE: Hello. Good morning.

SIMON: What can we find out about this outbreak dinner that is being known as a superspreader occasion?

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Proper. So not everybody on the high-profile listing of constructive instances have been on the dinner, however at the least 50 individuals who attended did check constructive afterwards. Now, friends needed to present proof of vaccination, however attendees didn’t uniformly put on masks, and there have been no unfavourable check necessities. And that is within the context of instances, as you say, rising right here in D.C. And the dominant variant within the U.S. proper now, BA.2, is extraordinarily contagious. And there have been about 700 individuals indoors at this occasion, and that is nonetheless dangerous.

SIMON: Hmm. After all, President Biden works intently with lots of these individuals who did get contaminated. He is 79 years of age. He has had a second booster. What does the White Home say concerning the president’s danger of publicity?

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Yeah, in truth, the president normally attends the annual dinner, however this yr, President Biden didn’t. He despatched a video message as a substitute. I requested Natalie Quillian, the outgoing deputy coordinator for the White Home COVID-19 response staff, concerning the president’s danger. And here is what she mentioned.

NATALIE QUILLIAN: Is it potential that he, like many Individuals, might get COVID? It’s potential. But in addition, like many Individuals, you already know, we consider in – he can transfer ahead safely together with his routines as president of the US.

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: She mentioned the president has sturdy protocols and his vaccine doses defending him.

SIMON: Selena, this week, a federal appeals courtroom upheld the vaccine mandate for federal workers that had been blocked for months. What does this imply for employees?

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Effectively, this was a panel within the Fifth Circuit Courtroom of Appeals, and the judges mentioned that the decrease courtroom decide who had blocked it did not have jurisdiction. They reasoned that if a federal employee has an issue with the vaccine rule, they should use an inner assessment course of, not sue in federal courtroom. Erin Fuse Brown teaches regulation at Georgia State College. She informed me, in sensible phrases, the injunction’s gone.

ERIN FUSE BROWN: And so in concept, sure, the federal authorities as an employer might begin implementing the vaccine mandate.

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: However the individuals who is perhaps affected listed below are solely a really small portion of the workforce, possibly, like, 3% who each are unvaccinated and wouldn’t have an exemption. And it isn’t clear if the federal authorities goes to leap in and begin implementing this. The White Home, as Quillian informed me, they’re simply working by means of subsequent steps at this level.

SIMON: Mmm. Lastly, congress left for spring recess with out passing one other package deal of COVID spending. This one would have been value $10 billion. What occurs now?

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Effectively, already uninsured individuals can not get free vaccines or exams or therapies throughout the nation. The administration warns extra cuts are coming if Congress cannot get extra funding authorised quickly. Quillian informed me the White Home needs much more, 22.5 billion. And he or she pointed to a research from Yale and the Commonwealth Fund, out yesterday, that assessed the worth of the vaccination marketing campaign to date.

QUILLIAN: That mentioned, we have averted virtually 900 billion in well being care prices and saved 2 million lives. I feel an funding of $22 billion to save lots of much more lives and stop much more prices to our financial system and our well being care system is properly value it.

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: She mentioned she hopes lawmakers act shortly on this once they get again to Washington on April 25.

SIMON: That is NPR’s Selena Simmons-Duffin. Thanks very a lot.

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Thanks.

Copyright © 2022 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional info.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This textual content might not be in its ultimate kind and could also be up to date or revised sooner or later. Accuracy and availability might fluctuate. The authoritative document of NPR’s programming is the audio document.