COVID Update November 6: This is a grim time for our country. We may be headed for close to a 9/11 numbers of daily deaths.

What we need most now... 1/

We are already half way there and winter hasn’t started. What do we do about it? 2/ https://twitter.com/aslavitt/status/1324795883737829376

1. We need a re-commitment to democracy & to each other. A divided country leads to a prolonged outbreak.

Each 10% of people that aren’t complaint add 100,000 more lost lives. 3/

Biden’s ask to “be patient and let democracy work” is the right one. His theme that he may have run as a Democrat but will be everyone’s president is important. 4/

2. We need to understand the particular dangers of winter. The physics of particles. How long they linger. How to ventilate. How long to wait before entering a room others were in.

If you don’t know this you will need to. 5/

I will bring you @CorsIAQ and @BhadeliaMD on Monday to give you the toolkit you need to get through winter. I can’t tell you how important this is.

I know people are lonely tired scared & the holidays are important. But please listen. 6/ http://Smarturl.it/inthebubble 

3. We need leaders and we need a plan. Trump’s task force has been off the job. Cases have grown at a dangerous time.

Biden is naming his own Task Force which I wholeheartedly applaud. 7/

Hear from two of the Task Force members on recent In the Bubble episodes. See link in tweet 6 to hear @ZekeEmanuel or @vivek_murthy. 8/

What the Task Force needs to focus on are 4 areas: logistics & executive actions particularly around testing & PPE; science; support from Congress; and using the bully bulpit to bring Americans together. 9/

In the next week or so I will be writing about recommendations in each of those 4 areas. 10/

4. We need our career civil servants in the FDA and CDC to know that help and repair is on the way, to keep serving the people, and be prepared to help the landing teams when this election is officially declared. 11/

5. We need every governor to review their hospital utilization planning and safety measures. 12/

6. We need an open and shut ACA case on a Monday so millions of people don’t lose their access to health care in the middle of all of this. 13/

Finally to the many who are tired, we need a CREDIBLE light at the end of the tunnel. A path to sustain people while they go through difficult times.

That begins with the truth, the release of real numbers consistently from scientists. 14/

Normally I would advise— one government at a time. Don’t confuse the nation with different messages. But there is only a void, as the Trump team abandoned post long ago. Those left will be invalidating the election. 15/

If Mike Pence as head of of the Task Force would be wise to finish with an eye towards a good responsible hand off and preserving human life.

(Sorry, thought I would get a joke in!! He’ll never do that!) 16/

Concession are not, welcome the adults in. We’ve never needed it more than right now. /end