CDC: Older people should stay home when possible
Trump advises public to ‘be calm’
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging older people and people with severe chronic medical conditions to “stay at home as much as possible.”
This advice is on a CDC website that was posted Thursday, according to a CDC spokeswoman.
Early data suggests older people are twice as likely to have serious illness from the novel coronavirus, according to the CDC.
A Trump administration official told CNN that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services “is in the process of doing targeted outreach to the elderly community and those that have serious underlying health conditions.”
President Donald Trump used his visit to the CDC in Atlanta to once more quell the growing alarm that has prompted travel to be curtailed and events to be canceled from coast to coast.
Before departing Washington, D.C., Mr. Trump signed an $8.3 billion COVID-19 response funding bill at the White House and instructed the public: “Be calm. It will go away.”
“We have very low numbers compared to major countries throughout the world. Our numbers are lower than just about anybody,” Mr. Trump said about cases of the virus.
But his messaging was more scattered at CDC headquarters, reflective of the on-again, off-again, back-on-again nature of the trip itself. The White House had announced early Friday that Mr. Trump’s trip to the CDC was canceled because of concern about a possible infection there, but that person tested negative and Mr. Trump ended up going after all.
The CDC guidance comes as two top infectious disease experts with ties to the federal government have advised people over 60 and those with underlying health problems to strongly consider avoiding activities that involve large crowds, such as traveling by airplane, going to movie theaters or concerts, attending family events, shopping at crowded malls and going to religious services.
Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University professor and longtime adviser to the CDC, said people in those two groups “should strongly consider not doing these activities at this juncture.”
“This ought to be top of mind for people over 60 and those with underlying health problems, such as heart or lung disease, diabetes, or compromised immune systems,” Dr. Schaffner added. “The single most important thing you can do to avoid the virus is reduce your face-toface contact with people.”
Michael Osterholm, the former state epidemiologist for Minnesota, agreed.
“I think clearly the time has come to take these steps,” said Mr. Osterholm, who has served on committees advising the federal government on public health issues and is director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
Both experts, who are over age 60, said they have taken some of these steps themselves.
“When my wife and I need to go shopping, we’re going late at night when there are no crowds, and we get in and out efficiently,” Dr. Schaffner said.
He added that his wife often goes to a bridge club with dozens of other people — but not anymore.
“She enjoys bridge and it’s an important part of her life and it keeps her mentally active, but she’s going to give it up for a while,” he said.
Mr. Osterholm said he has canceled some air travel plans.
“It’s always been easy to be abstract when you’re a public health person when something’s happening in Africa or Asia or the Arabian peninsula,” he said. “But now it’s happening here, and we have to internalize this.”