Preview: Live from Aspen: Q&A with Dr. Deborah Birx.
Inside Medicine Premium: A conversation with former White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator under President Trump, and long-time HIV/AIDS global health warrior.
Hi all,
Today I posted the video of my 52-minute interview with Dr. Deborah Birx on the Premium Subscriber-only Inside Medicine Facebook group.
Whatever you think you know about Dr. Birx, who led the White House Coronavirus Task Force under President Trump, this conversation will change your perspective in some way, I guarantee it. She’s data-driven, mission-focused, and tactical. She achieved many important things that you probably don't know about. She also made some mistakes, which she is open about. What I enjoyed most in our conversation, and her book Silent Invasion, is that she pulls no punches.
The full video, audio, and transcript are available to Inside Medicine Premium Subscribers. So, for those wondering what Premium is all about, now is a great time for a free trial. You get extra articles, Q&As like this rather remarkable one with Dr. Birx, and access to our members-only Facebook Group. (You do need a Facebook account to upgrade.)
If you’re not interested in Premium but still want to see shorter clips for free, those are available at Medpage Today:
Part 1: https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/faustfiles/99723
Part 2: https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/faustfiles/99792
Part 3: https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/faustfiles/99854
But if you want to see, hear, and read the transcript of the full unedited session—which I highly recommend!—now’s a great time for free trial of Inside Medicine Premium.
Much more coming soon on both regular and Premium Inside Medicine.
In the meantime, below are some highlights from our Q&A to whet your appetite!
Best,
Jeremy
Dr. Birx and I in Aspen, June, 2022.
Who is Dr. Deborah Birx, really?
“Well, if you asked anyone around the globe in HIV, they would tell you who I am: hard driving, data-driven, will do anything to ensure people's lives are saved.”
Birx on testing and people doing the right thing, when given the tools:
“We asked for PCR tests, antigen tests and antibody tests because I knew we had to get into the community and it had to be simple and fast because we needed the 20 and 30 and 40-somethings being willing to test. They were not going to go sit in a drive thru for four hours and wait five days to get an answer….I never saw, in all of my trips, people being intentionally irresponsible.”
Birx on understanding rapid tests:
“If you explain it correctly and you say to them, ‘These tests are for that moment in time. You may be negative tomorrow or you may be positive. And so if you're seeing your grandmother three days in the row, you're gonna have to test three days in a row…’ So whenever I walk into an occasion, which I'm sure is a downer, whether it's a wedding or otherwise. I say, "There are at least two or three people infected in here. So let's all be respectful and take care.”
Birx on how New York’s disaster saved so many lives:
“I don't think I would've been able to convince [President Trump] of the 30 days [shelter-in-place] and the reopening criteria if he hadn't had the Elmhurst experience combined with his friend being hospitalized and then succumbing to Covid.”
Birx on Covid-19 therapeutics:
“[Remdesivir] wasn't a game changer. I think it gave us hope that we could get a whole series of therapeutics.”
[On Paxlovid over-use by the young and healthy] “Well, that's how we're going to get resistance.”
Birx on sticking it out in the Trump White House.
“I mean, let's be very clear: there was no one else in the White House. If I had deserted my post, it would've opened it up completely to Scott Atlas being me [taking my spot].”
Birx on whether her detailed book Silent Invasion caused a ruckus among her colleagues:
“Well they know that I was only going to write a book for which I had documentation!”
Birx on the current pandemic response and funding:
“There's enough money right now to effectively do it. Prove that you can change the outcome. Prove that you can have the impact with those dollars.”
Birx on the months ahead:
“I'm very worried….I'm very worried about the South.”
Plus, Dr. Birx provides insights on why it appeared that Dr. Fauci pushed back against misinformation coming from the White House more than she did.
So, if you want to see, hear, and read the transcript of the full unedited wide-ranging conversation, here’s the link to a free trial of Inside Medicine Premium. Extra articles, more access to what’s going on, and the wonderful community at the members-only Inside Medicine Facebook group.
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