U.S. Study: Sunlight, Bleach Kill Coronavirus

TRUMP:  DEVELOPMENT OF VACCINE “VERY CLOSE”

by Sharon Rondeau

(Apr. 23, 2020) — Thursday’s White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing began at 5:47 p.m. EDT with President Trump promoting the expected fourth coronavirus stimulus bill to restart the U.S. economy.

The Senate passed the bill Monday, and the House was scheduled to vote on Thursday.

He complimented “the governors” for working with his administration to reopen their states.

Harvard, Stanford and Princeton Universities have returned funds from the Paycheck Protection Program, Trump reported, and thanked them for doing so.

He said that 46 states are now showing reductions in new cases.

The reopening of the U.S. for business is “very exciting,” he said, and that Americans are learning more about the virus each day.

Scientists have determined that the virus thrives in cold, dry air as opposed to warm, humid environments, he said.

Development of a vaccine is “very close,” he said, and he thanked the head of DHS Science and Technology, Bill Bryan, for an upcoming report.  “it will be brand-new information, very important information,” he said.

He continues to utilize the Defense Production Act, he said, to have personal protective equipment (PPE) manufactured.  He said some hospitals are accustomed to discarding a mask after one use but that new sterilization procedures are effective, allowing for reuse of the masks.

Vice President Mike Pence is providing governors a summary of how PPE has been distributed, he said, including “essential gear.”  “This way the governors should know what’s being delivered” to their states, Trump said.  “Governors can use this information to ensure that they get materials where and when they are needed.”

He thanked members of the “front line” for their hard work over many weeks.

Convalescent plasma is being administered more widely, he said, to those suffering from the virus.  “Convalescent plasma will also be used to manufacture a concentrated antibody treatment” which could enter clinical trials “within weeks,” he said.

He said America “will end this plague” and restore the economy “to where it was or even better.”

At 5:58, Pence took the podium and reported the Task Force, in an earlier meeting, determined that “the data continues to show promising signs of progress,” particularly in the tri-state area of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.  “The only conclusion is that we’re getting there, America,” he said, stating that Americans have followed the White House’s guidelines for mitigating the spread of the virus.

He said the Task Force believes that if “phased reopening” of the states’ economies occurs, “by early summer,” “much of” the coronavirus’s impact “will be behind us.”

HUD Secretary Ben Carson will be convening a new council to study the impact of the virus on urban areas, Pence said.

Approximately 4.93 million tests have been performed across the country, he said, and a commercial lab performed “over 100,000 tests” on Wednesday.

Several governors reported that exponentially more testing is now available in their states, namely, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin, Pence reported.

As of Thursday, 35,000 National Guard “are deployed across the country,” Pence said.  On Wednesday, 1,013 military medical professionals went to 19 hospitals in 7 states, he said.

The additional funding for the PPP includes $75 billion for hospitals, Pence said, and that Trump and he “are now encouraging states to restart elective surgeries wherever possible, either statewide or on a county-by-county basis.”

The Task Force received reports from 16 states on “formal reopening plans,” Pence said.  “To your point, Mr. President, states are beginning to make those plans,” he said, and that the administration is “grateful” that governors are planning to reopen their economies in a “phased” manner.

Those states include Missouri, Idaho and Pennsylvania, he said, and that the Task Force will continue to provide them guidance.

As he has before, Pence said that Americans’ sacrifices to “slow the spread” have “saved lives.”  “Every single day, we are one day closer to opening up America again,” he concluded his remarks, introducing Bryan to speak about his research.

Bryan explained that the DHS division he heads, “S&T,” performs its work in “a high bio-containment laboratory” where “countermeasures” are “analyzed” to “threats to the homeland.”

With the aid of slides, Bryan reported that his research shows that “solar light” has a strong effect on “killing the virus.”

The “half-life” of the virus is significant, he said.  As temperature and humidity increase, “with no sun involved,” he reported, the survival of the virus on a surface is greatly reduced.  UV rays has a large impact as well, he said.

His unit works with Johns Hopkins University, he said, to study the behavior of the virus.  “The virus dies the quickest in the presence of bright sunlight,” he said.

“We believe these trends can support practical decision-making,” he said, in the fight against the coronavirus.  “Extra care may be warranted for indoor environments” without sunlight, he said.  “I can tell you that bleach will kill the virus in 30 seconds,” he added.

“That’s pretty powerful,” Trump said after retaking the podium.  He then took reporters’ questions.

A question directed to Bryan asked if his research will continue, to which he answered in the affirmative.  He said his study has “identified some of the weak links” in the virus’s “chain.”  “That doesn’t take away the guidance from the White House, CDC, that people need to protect themselves,” he said.

He added that the summer months will present an opportunity for the prevalence of the virus to be reduced.

“UV rays hitting a piece of playground equipment,” he said, would almost certainly kill the virus, but any area not exposed to the sunlight would likely retain the virus.

“The virus lives longer on non-porous surfaces,” he explained.

To another question, Bryan said governors can use the research to make decisions about which sectors of their economies to reopen.

Bryan said his testing of the virus began in February and “we are now starting to get results, and every week or two weeks we’re starting to find out something new and different.”

Comparisons to other countries’ research have been made, Bryan said, to which Trump added, “We are working with other countries on vaccines.”

Pence added that pharmaceutical development, vaccines and other measures will prepare the U.S. to face the coronavirus should it return in the fall.

There are now “11 different places making ventilators,” Trump said while responding to questions.  “We’ve made millions of masks..we gave one hospital in New York City 300,000 masks.”

“The team that worked on the ventilators was incredible,” as is “the team” working on increasing testing, he said.

ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked Trump about aid to states, which is not present in the fourth relief bill passed Thursday.  “We’re working with senators that are on the other side of the issue, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump responded.  “We’re looking to do what’s right for the people of this country…some states have not done very well for many years before the virus came along…”

“We’ll be talking about it,” he told Karl.

On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell remarked that “bankruptcy” on the part of states might be preferable to the federal government borrowing more money to provide them with financial relief.

Trump again thanked Harvard, Princeton and Stanford for returning the PPP funds.  “We want it to go to the people that it’s supposed to go to,” he said.

Regarding the states with budget shortfalls, he said those “happen to be ‘blue,'” or “Democrat.”