Long before COVID, Dr. Ashish Jha was an internationally respected expert on pandemic response and preparedness. In September 2020, Jha left his position as faculty director of the Harvard Global Health Institute and became dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. Jha is a regular contributor to CBS News, ABC News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, TODAY, and other media outlets. Every week here, Jha, a practicing physician and scientist, will analyze eve ...
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Welcome to Episode 41 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
7:51
PROVIDENCE – The numbers indicate that the latest COVID surge has peaked, according to pandemic expert Dr. Ashish Jha, and while the next couple of weeks “are the critical time,” the nation as a whole can expect a better February than this January, when the Delta and omicron variants have combined to deal a coast-to-coast punishing blow. Looking fu…
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Welcome to Episode 40 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
11:22
PROVIDENCE – As difficult as COVID-19 has made this December with omicron now the dominant variant, “we are looking toward a month of January when we’re just going to see an extraordinary number of infections across all of the country,” Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, said on Tuesday. “As it has been throughout, …
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Welcome to Episode 39 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
12:24
PROVIDENCE – The omicron variant has been detected in more than two dozen countries, including just this week in the U.S. And this much is certain, says pandemic expert Dr. Ashish Jha: it will continue to spread. Beyond that, Jha asserts, uncertainties at this early stage abound, just as they did when the last major variant, Delta, was first found …
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Welcome to Episode 38 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
14:46
PROVIDENCE – With the CDC expected this week to grant approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children age 5 to 11, polls show that some parents and guardians are hesitant about their youngsters getting the shots – and some have said they will refuse. Dr. Ashish Jha’s message to them? “You can listen to what I have to say, but more importantly, look at …
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Welcome to Episode 37 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
16:50
PROVIDENCE – Do not expect a repeat of the grim fall and winter holidays of last year, when the pandemic raged. Instead, people in many parts of the U.S. can look forward to more traditional celebrations, now that “the delta surge of the summer has clearly turned a corner.” Such was the assessment on Tuesday by Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown Uni…
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Welcome to Episode 36 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
15:40
PROVIDENCE – The microbe that causes coronavirus disease may never disappear entirely, but there is an “end game” in sight for the pandemic, which means “we're going to get through this and we will get back to a normal that people will value and appreciate and love.” And that could be as soon as the year 2022. That was the prognosis Tuesday from Dr…
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Welcome to Episode 35 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
16:33
PROVIDENCE – As children including his own begin to return to the classroom, pandemic expert Dr. Ashish Jha expresses confidence that they and their teachers and support staff can be safe – provided school districts follow what he outlined Thursday as four requirements. They are: ◘ Vaccinations for all who are eligible ◘ Proper ventilation and rela…
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Welcome to Episode 34 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
19:46
PROVIDENCE – “I'm very worried.” So declared Dr. Ashish Jha this week as the highly contagious Delta variant ravages many parts of the U.S. and some models suggest “as many as 35 million Americans may get infected over the next couple of months, the next few months,” according to the pandemic expert. That, Jha said, “is an astronomically large numb…
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Welcome to Episode 33 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
19:09
PROVIDENCE – With the Delta variant now widespread, the World Health Organization recently repeated longstanding guidance that all people -- vaccinated or not – should wear masks. Some places in the U.S., including sprawling Los Angeles County, have advised mask-wearing for all indoors. But the CDC differs. Pandemic expert Dr. Ashish Jha on Thursda…
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Welcome to Episode 32 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
10:36
PROVIDENCE – The growing dominance of the deadly Delta variant will pose a grave risk this summer to people who are not fully vaccinated, pandemic expert Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, said during the latest recording of the “COVID: What Comes Next” podcast. “If you have not gotten vaccinated, this is a potentia…
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Welcome to Episode 31 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
14:17
PROVIDENCE – Children under 12 are not yet eligible for vaccination against coronavirus disease -- but despite lacking that protection, their fully vaccinated parents and guardians should not be overly anxious about their chances of becoming sick. Rather, they should practice a degree of common sense – and, with a few exceptions, let their children…
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Welcome to Episode 30 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
13:00
PROVIDENCE – “A breakthrough” was Dr. Ashish Jha’s assessment Tuesday of the CDC guidance that fully vaccinated people need not wear masks in most situations. “You basically can return to life as it was in 2019 and that’s pretty profound,” said the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health. But Jha acknowledged questions surrounding the ru…
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Welcome to Episode 29 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
17:04
PROVIDENCE – Dr. Ashish Jha on Tuesday welcomed the FDA’s Monday approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children 12 to 15 years old, declaring that it will keep those who receive it safe while moving the general population closer to population immunity. The CDC’s COVID vaccine advisory committee is soon expected to follow suit, which means children in …
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Welcome to Episode 28 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
13:26
PROVIDENCE – The FDA is expected to soon authorize use of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for adolescents 12 to 15 years old, a development that pandemic expert Dr. Ashish Jha on Tuesday greeted with enthusiasm for its anticipated effect on the general population -- and prospects for fully reopening high schools in the fall. “It’s really helpful,” J…
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Welcome to Episode 27 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
10:04
PROVIDENCE – Even though a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine provides a significant degree of immunity against coronavirus disease, it is imperative that those who have received one return for their second. The same holds true for those who have received only one shot of the Moderna product. So stated Dr. Ashish Jha on Tuesday dur…
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Welcome to Episode 26 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
14:16
PROVIDENCE – Pandemic authority Dr. Ashish Jha on Tuesday hailed this week’s opening of coronavirus vaccines to all U.S. residents age 16 and older – but strongly urged officials to simplify the process by which shots go into arms so all can take advantage. The current patchwork of web sites and phone numbers used now in cities and states across Am…
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Welcome to Episode 25 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
17:38
PROVIDENCE – The decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration to recommend an immediate pause in administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine demonstrates that “the system is working,” pandemic expert Dr. Ashish Jha said on Tuesday while recording the “COVID: What Comes Next” podcast. The federa…
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Welcome to Episode 24 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
15:57
PROVIDENCE – The emergence of the B117 variant combined with the fact that a majority of Americans 65 and older have been vaccinated has resulted in larger numbers of young people, including children and adolescents, becoming infected with coronavirus disease. That is the conclusion reached by Brown University School of Public Health dean Dr. Ashis…
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Welcome to Episode 23 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
11:58
PROVIDENCE – The second Easter of the COVID-19 pandemic is this weekend, and unlike last year, when many states were in lockdown and public-health officials urged people to stay home and not have guests, the guidance for this Sunday offers more freedom. But not total freedom. Attention to the nuances of vaccination this year is critical. So proclai…
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Welcome to Episode 22 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
16:22
PROVIDENCE – The breaking news overnight that the National Institutes of Health has concerns about the data used by AstraZeneca to prove the reported high effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine is not only troubling in its own right but may discourage more people who already were hesitant about getting a shot to get inoculated. That was Brown Univer…
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Welcome to Episode 21 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
12:22
PROVIDENCE – With polls showing that large numbers of Republicans -- males especially -- are not planning to be vaccinated against COVID-19, faith, political and other leaders must spread the message that inoculations are safe and effective. So declared Brown University School of Public Health dean Dr. Ashish Jha on Tuesday during the 21st taping o…
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Welcome to Episode 20 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
9:09
PROVIDENCE – The CDC’s new guidelines regarding masking and socializing are “terrific,” Brown University School of Public Health dean Dr. Ashish Jha said Tuesday – “a taste of spring” during a week when temperatures across much of the Midwest and Northeast are forecast to be unseasonably warm. The new guidelines, long anticipated and announced on M…
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Welcome to Episode 19 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
14:34
PROVIDENCE – The just-authorized Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine is “great news” for people in the U.S. and abroad, pandemic expert Dr. Ashish Jha declared on Tuesday – but not in that encouraging category, the Brown University School of Public Health dean said, is the recent plateauing of new COVID-19 cases in America. The Johnson & Johnson …
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Welcome to Episode 18 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
11:36
PROVIDENCE – Pandemic expert Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, on Tuesday expressed optimism about where the U.S. stands at this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has now gripped the country for nearly a year. “We have been seeing cases drop in the last six weeks and we've been waiting for the death numbers to …
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Welcome to Episode 17 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
9:00
PROVIDENCE – The seven new coronavirus variants that a team of researchers has recently discovered in the U.S. is reason for concern, pandemic expert Dr. Ashish Jha, Brown University School of Public Health dean, declared on Tuesday. “The variants are out there, they're real, and they're scary, and the best way to deal with variants is to bring inf…
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Welcome to Episode 16 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
14:26
PROVIDENCE – “Fit and filtration” are the two most significant factors people should consider when buying masks for use during the coronavirus pandemic, Brown University School of Public Health dean Dr. Ashish Jha said on Tuesday. Speaking during the weekly taping of the national “COVID: What Comes Next” podcast, Jha also stressed the importance of…
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Welcome to Episode 15 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
13:00
PROVIDENCE – Although some scientists early in the COVID-19 pandemic expressed concern that the disease could be spread on surfaces in addition to airborne transmission, the primary means, subsequent study has shown the risk is minimal, Dr. Ashish Jha said on Tuesday. “We don't think surfaces are a major source of transmission and I'd be very surpr…
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PROVIDENCE – President Biden’s just-announced new goal of administering 1.5 million doses of coronavirus vaccines daily is “real and important,” Dr. Ashish Jha asserted on Tuesday – but the dean of Brown ...
13:03
Speaking during the weekly taping of the national “COVID: What Comes Next” podcast, Jha said “I believe if things go well on production that we will be on track to be able to produce almost 2 million doses a day, and I want to make sure that there is a very short line between production of doses and vaccinations into people's arms.” Vaccines from M…
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President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to get 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the states during the first 100 days of the incoming administration is feasible -- and will have a significant effect in ...
13:00
The two vaccines available now, from Moderna and Pfizer BioNTech, require two does for maximin effectiveness. A rollout of 100 million more doses would protect 50 million more people. “It's going to take work. It's not going to be straightforward, but I think it's very doable,” Jha said during the weekly taping of the “COVID: What Comes Next” podca…
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Given the fragmented and delayed rollouts of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown’s School of Public Health, has recommended that a lottery system be used to get more needles ...
13:54
“As I heard story after story after story, I realized we were going to see a ton of gaming, it’s going to be less efficient and inequitable, and I think a lot of us felt like this is too complicated,” Jha, , said Tuesday during taping of the 12th episode of “COVID: What Comes Next,” the weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast. Jha reaff…
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Welcome to Episode 11 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
13:18
Welcome to Episode 11 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an internationally respected expert on pandemic response and preparedness. Today, Dr. Jha reaffirms his recommendation that second doses of Pfizer- Bio…
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Welcome to Episode 10 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
16:10
Today, Dr. Jha discusses the many problems surrounding the rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. “It’s going way too slowly and the cost here is lives,” he says, and then gets into detail. Looking to the future, Dr. Jha says “we have to have a very serious conversation our country about how we structure public health.” Dr. Jha also e…
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Welcome to Episode 9 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
15:47
With reports from England and elsewhere about a variation of the coronavirus causing alarm, Dr. Jha today discusses what is known at this point about transmissibility and the effectiveness of existing vaccines, saying “we're still learning but I think it's exceedingly unlikely that the vaccine will not work against this strain.” Dr. Jha in this pod…
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Welcome to Episode 8 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
17:14
With the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine having reached the states on Monday, Dr. Jha breaks down the manufacturing, transportation and administration considerations of this largest-ever mass vaccination effort. As he explains, Operation Warp Speed was a partnership of the federal government and private companies, including Fedex and UPS…
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Welcome to Episode 7 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
11:39
Today, Dr. Jha discusses the Pfizer vaccine, which is being rolled out in the United Kingdom this week. Also this week, on Thursday the federal Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccine Advisory Committee will hold a public hearing on Emergency Use Authorization for the vaccine, which the FDA is expected to grant. After authorization, Pfizer is expect…
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Welcome to Episode 6 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
22:16
Today, Jha discusses the continuing stresses on hospitals across America as doctors now are forced to make decisions on who will and will not be admitted when so few beds are available. Shortages affect both patients with coronavirus disease and those without – people living with heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other conditions who in ordinary …
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Welcome to Episode 5 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
17:06
In this installment, Jha discusses the continuing COVID surge, which is overwhelming hospitals across the U.S.; his Senate testimony last week in which he said there is no evidence demonstrating benefits from hydroxychloroquine, which the current presidential administration has trumpeted; and the welcome news Monday that the GSA is allowing Preside…
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Welcome to Episode 4 of “COVID: What comes next,” the exclusive weekly Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and ...
11:17
In this installment, Jha explains the significance of the just-announced Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which follows last week’s welcome news about Pfizer’s vaccine; the still-rising toll of the pandemic as it ravages the U.S. and many foreign nations; and President Trump’s continuing refusal to give President-elect Joe Biden’s team the federal resourc…
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Welcome to Episode 3 of “COVID: What comes next,” an exclusive weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an ...
13:07
In this installment, Jha discusses the implications of the presidential election last week and what he anticipates from President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus task force, which is co-chaired by a former surgeon general, a former FDA commissioner, and an associate dean at the Yale School of Medicine. Jha also talks about the Pfizer vaccine – the sa…
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Welcome to Episode 2 of “COVID: What comes next,” a new weekly Providence Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK podcast featuring Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and an internationally respected expert on pandemic response and preparedness. In this installment, Jha discusses the factors behind record numbers of coronavirus …
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In this first episode, Dr. Jha discusses the new surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations being seen now in most states, the situation at the White House including the infections of members of Vice President Mike Pence’s staff, the coming winter and steps that can be taken now to prevent an intensification of the pandemic, and his assessment…
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