8 Takeaways From the Covid-19 Senate Hearing

Here’s what experts said about the U.S. response so far, and what’s to come

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, appears remotely during a U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Covid-19. Credit: SAUL LOEB/Contributor/Getty Images

Pulled from my play-by-play of the Senate hearing on Twitter.

I live tweeted this morning’s Senate hearing on Covid-19 with Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Robert Redfield, MD, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Stephen Hahn, MD, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and Brett Giroir, MD, assistant secretary for health who’s leading the U.S. coronavirus testing efforts.

Below are eight key points from the experts about the nation’s response to the virus and what the future might look like as states inch toward reopening.

1. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is pursuing several treatment options, including antivirals, convalescent plasma, monoclonal antibodies, and immune-based drugs. More than a dozen vaccines are also in development. The furthest along is in a phase 1 clinical trial, with the possibility for entering phase 2/3 this summer. The NIH will know if the vaccine is successful by winter.
2. We don’t know yet if a vaccine will be successful, but Fauci is cautiously optimistic. The fact that most people generate antibodies and spontaneously clear the virus means from a conceptual standpoint that we can stimulate the body with a vaccine to get a similar response.
3. There are also concerns about scaling up manufacturing. Fauci says they’re already making production bets and investing $100 million into the production of several different vaccine options, even before they know which one works. This ensures that when we do get an effective and safe vaccine, there will be doses already available.
4. We don’t necessarily need an effective treatment and vaccine to open up the country. What we do need are surveillance efforts to provide testing, isolation, and contact tracing.
5. Redfield says the CDC is working with states to get contact tracing up and running and to cater to individual states’ needs. Government service agencies like AmeriCorps could get involved to help.
6. Fauci says if we don’t have these steps in place…