After learning what went down at the Gridiron Club dinner superspreader event, renowned environmental and occupational health physician Dr. Donald Milton, a pioneer of the modern science of airborne transmission of respiratory viruses, who had advised the White House since the beginning of the pandemic, approached the White House Correspondents Association with a proposal to install UV lights at WHCA dinner for no charge to help prevent another superspreader event from happening.
We thought it would be nice to try and prevent that [Gridiron superspreading experience] especially given that some high profile attendees like president Joe Biden would be at the dinner, said Dr. Milton.
On August 6, 2020, world-renowned scientist Dr. Kimberly Prather, elected into the National Academy of Engineering (2019) and the National Academy of Sciences (2020), was the first to break the news to Dr. Anthony Fauci that particles containing SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are airborne.
Oh, my God, Dr. Anthony Fauci said to her. You mean it goes further than six feet? Wow, why did we get it wrong for so long?Dr. Fauci was shocked, Dr. Kimberly Prather warmly recalled their conversation.For one hundred years, the belief in the scientific community has been that a droplet falls within six feet. I convinced him that aerosols up to 100 microns can go further than six feet. That whole belief system that things dont go further than six feet was completely wrong. I showed Fauci how far things go. Its much further.
Dr. Prather is also the one who has been pushing the N95 masks in the White House. Ive also been pushing for filtration in the White House, she said.
Given that the risk of transmission of the airborne virus is much higher in inadequately ventilated and crowded indoor settings, Dr. Kimberly Prather believed that the WHCA dinner should be organized in a safe way and that it was a good idea that Dr. Miltons offered to install the UV technology at the WH Correspondents dinner.
It was a perfect place to do it. The highest risk places are indoors, low ventilation, lots of people, and no masks. At that point, when you take off the masks, theres gonna be a really high viral load in the air. Washington DC had really high case numbers, so the chances of people being there that were infected was very high even with testing. Putting UV light was the way to go.
Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and Chief of COVID Task Force at the New England Complex Systems Institute and co-founder of the World Health Network was worried about WHCA dinner as well. In his mind, the Gridiron dinner had already proved itself to be a super spreader as an already much smaller event than WHCA dinner.
In a room of 2600 people, theres a 7.4% chance that nobody gets Covid-19.
Theres more COVID than a couple of weeks ago, WHCA dinner is so much bigger, and the density of people at this Correspondents Dinner is much higher. Altogether, its the worst of three different situations, much worse than Gridiron in every single way.
Doing the math calculation on the spot, Dr. Feigl-Ding quickly came up with the risk level of getting COVID at the WHCA indoor event, hosting 2600 people in the basement of the Washington Hilton.Lets say, hypothetically, theres only a 0.1% chance someone might carry the virus and 99.9% would not. But then, in a superspreading environment where you have 2600 people, that number [99.9% chance of not getting Covid-19] falls very fast. said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding. The math was straightforward: in a room of 2600 people,Theres a 7.4% chance that nobody has it.
The sheer number of people at the WHCA dinner, including all the catering staff indicated the high-risk environment for covid transmission. If one person has it [Covid-19] in a super spreading environment with poor ventilation, then anyone who isnt very recently boosted or hasnt had COVID just two weeks ago would have a high chance of getting it, Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding explained. At the WHCA dinner, 7.4 % chance that nobody gets it is a serious problem. And no one wants to admit this.
UV light technology can cut down transmission by 80% and is a very standard method by now.
Health scientists were clear-eyed that something had to be done about WHCA dinner covid safety. Ventilation and filtration, according to Dr. Milton, were not enough to produce the required changes in an hour in a room of 2600 people. One of the advantages of UV light technology, according to Dr. Milton is that you know we have this infection happening by invisible particles floating in the air and we have this invisible light that is killing them.
In terms of its impact on transmission, UV light technology can cut down transmission by 80% and is a very standard method by now, explained Dr. Donald Milton. Germicidal ultraviolet light has been around since the late 1930s as a means of preventing airborne infection and has been proven effective in preventing measles transmission in schools.
The old technology required that the UV light be restricted to the upper part of the room, because they can hurt eyes; it doesnt cause permanent damage, but its painful.
The newer technology, however, doesnt penetrate the eye and it does not cause eye injury. It also doesnt cause skin cancer. You can just shine it directly into the room without having to worry about air movement so much, said Milton.
Ultraviolet light is invisible, it doesnt change the colors of what you see.
Its super spreading events that have been critical to keeping this pandemic going.
The way we can stop super spreading events, is by doing something that can remove enough virus from the air fast enough that people dont infect a lot of other people. Ventilation alone just cant do that, Dr.Milton explained.
After weeks of Dr.Miltons attempts to convince the organizers to take him up on his offer to install UV lights quickly and free of charge, the WHCA rejected the proposal.
According to Dr. Milton, dinner organizers were worried about eye irritation as well as whether the UV lights will get in the way. Because, we initially were proposing that we use them on tripods and they suggested that maybe doing that would make the President look blue on TV. But this concern was ill-founded. Ultraviolet light is invisible, it doesnt change the colors of what you see, explained Dr. Milton.
We talked about putting them around the perimeter. And so they were mainly worried about them being in the way of people moving around and wait staff moving around, said Dr. Milton. That version, where the UV lights are mounted on tripods was actually implemented in the Pentagon because it was easier to set them up quickly and get them installed. Theyre used in the US Army headquarters.
Dr. Kimberly Prather said that UV light has to be installed professionally. Don Milton offered them a company that does it professionally and makes it work.That would have been perfect for that venue. Absolutely perfect.
UV light has to be installed professionally. Don Milton offered them a company that does it professionally and makes it work.
While Dr. Milton and his scientific team answered questions and explained the science behind the UV light technology, trying to offer reassurance, it is Dr.Miltons understanding that the WHCA is a small organization and did not have the bandwidth to deal with this as it was focused on trying very hard to implement their testing and vaccine requirements, which Gridiron dinner did not have.
The additional factor for the free of charge UV light installation proposal to go down the wire was all pre and after dinner parties hosted by the major TV networks. We were not going to be able to implement this UV technology for all those other side eventsI think it would have had marginal effects but only really protected people who were just at the dinner, said Dr. Milton. Obviously, Biden didnt go to any of them, he added.
The White House Correspondents Association claimed that Miltons offer came too late. Well, it was clearly too late for them to get comfortable with the idea, was Dr. Miltons reaction to their statement.
On April 27, 2022, the three days ahead of the WHCA dinner, the District of Columbia run by Mayor Muriel Bowser stopped daily reporting of Covid cases to CDC. The nations capital, the hub of business, politics and diplomacy was about to host the dinner. Was that a good decision in the face of a new pandemic? How can the scientists know theres an outbreak if DC is not reporting the numbers to CDC? The media elite was on their way to celebrate at the basement of the Washington Hilton hotel without UV light added and CO2 sensors placed on the tables to measure the air quality and safety. The 79-year-old President Biden was also in attendance.
You remember the Trump White House, they relied on single testing, rapid testing. Its like we did not learn a lesson.
The White House Correspondents Association said that their event implemented all protocols and went beyond any guidance or regulation issued by CDC, or the DC health department.
I think what hes saying is that requiring people to test before they come in and for those people who were in direct contact with Biden. By requiring that they have a medically supervised test shortly before the event is more than is required, recommended by the CDC, said Dr Milton.
Testing is good, but its not perfect, said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding.You remember the Trump White House, they relied on single testing, rapid testing. Its like we did not learn a lesson, he shared his frustration. He added, In the Trump White House in the October 2020 outbreak, they relied on one rapid test. If youre negative, you get to meet the President. And theyre using the same logic here, at the WHCA dinner. If you have a negative test, you get to hang out with the President at the WH Correspondents dinner. We obviously have boosters now but also, the virus is much more infectious now than ever before. Altogether, its still very risky.
Putting people in a room where they are re-breathing over two thousand other peoples breath, in the high carbon dioxide (CO2) high environment, according to Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding was a risky situation.
Indoor CO2 concentrations do not provide an overall indication of indoor air quality, but they can be a useful tool in assessing ventilation rates ( i.e. outdoor air). In the absence of other mitigation measures such as filtration and UV lights, indoor CO2 concentrations could be used as a marker for risk of respiratory virus transmission. CO2 can actually calculate the re-breathing exactly, explained Dr. Feigl-Ding.
A volunteer from the Naltic Industrials came to the WHCA dinnerwith one CO2 sensor. At 8:40 PM the CO? levels were at 2063 parts per million (PPM). Those indicators, according to Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, were for sure a sign of poor ventilation at the WHCA dinner.
The average was 1800 PPM, 1900 PPM. Then they had some higher peaks, but still pretty bad.
Even if the space was compliant, ASHRAE ventilation standard is a minimum standard and does not cover pandemic mode.
According to Dr. Marwa Zaatari, Voting member of ASHRAE Standard 62.1 and a member of the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force The CO2 levels measured in the space are higher than levels expected if the space were to be compliant to ASHRAE Ventilation Standard. Even if the space was compliant, ASHRAE ventilation standard is a minimum standard and does not cover pandemic mode.
I think the public should be more aware, said Dr. Prather. I would have hoped, you know, for the White House Correspondents dinner, that Dr. Fauci potentially could have been involved. My dream would have been that they made that a statement. Not Okay, we are ready to get our lives back, rip off our masks and well all catch it. That should not have been the message. The message should have been: There is a way to have dinner in a safe way. And we could put CO2 sensors out. There are things we could have done, we could have cleaned the air, we could have put filters. I have written to the White House and said put these filtrations out, the Corsi-Rosenthal Box , or HEPAs, whatever you want to put. Put those around. I asked them to put them on Joe Bidens desk, she said.
There are ways that you can filter the virus from the air and have clean air and then people can remove their masks. Pushing for removal of masks, without cleaning indoor air is not okay. Thats not the order you should get it, Dr. Prather explained.
I have written to the White House and said put these filtrations out, the Corsi-Rosenthal Box, or HEPAs, whatever you want to put. Put those around. I asked them to put them on Joe Bidens desk.
Everybody wants to take their masks off. Everybody wants their lives back, but with clean indoor air, using the ways that you can do it. You filter out the air, you clean the air, you ventilate, you bring in the fresh air. There are so many ways to protect people. And, you know, its not out there. Its not out there in the way that it could or should be. And that is, you know, incredibly frustrating after, what, two and a half years.
The ultraviolet light is a technology where if you cant get the fresh air through the air you get fresh air equivalent, said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding. If you cannot deliver fresh air, you must deliver at least disinfected air. And so between the two solutions, you should have to meet the ASHRAE equivalence guidelines, Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding explained.
While one of the arguments for partygoers was that the dinner was voluntary, some news network employees who spoke on condition of anonymity said that they felt peer pressure to attend.
But you know who didnt volunteer to be there?, said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding. The waiters and waitresses.
According to the Hilton PR with whom The Pavlovic Today spoke, catering staff were required by WHCA to be masked, but further specification as to mask type, whether staff should wear a cloth mask, now deprecated by the CDC,or the superior N95, was absent. Most people in the room were unmasked. So that would make a minimal difference, said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding.
While WHCA did focus on rigorous same-day testing and vaccine requirements, people still got infected with COVID. Secretary Blinken, VOAs Steve Herman, ABCs Jonathan Karl, and many others partygoers who did not come forward.
ABCs Jonathan Karl, went through same-day medically-supervised testing. Throughout the dinner he was sitting in the audience at the ABC table next to Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson. Announced as the winner of Excellence in Presidential Coverage Under Deadline Pressure award, ABCs veteran reporter left the table and went up on the stage to receive the prize. Before addressing the audience from the podium, he shook hands with President Biden.
I dont even know that many reporters who went to WHCA dinner and I can already count enough for two hands.
On Monday, two days after the dinner, Jonathan Karl publicly announced he tested positive for COVID-19. What was the risk of infecting the President of the United States?
Jonathan Karl may not have given it to Biden, because Jonathan Karl may have gotten it from someone at his table, so he could have just been affected. So, if Jonathan Karl was just infected, he wouldnt be infectious to Biden immediately. So it doesnt imply that Biden is immediately infected, said Eric Feigl-Ding. But its so risky, Dr. Feigl-Ding explained, because hes close contact with someone. This room is very risky. Biden was more elevated on stage and separated from other people. But still, its too incredibly risky.
George Cheek, the president and chief executive of CBS who sat next to Biden on stage, also tested positive days after the dinner.
From top TV network executives to the White House correspondents to many other guests of the guests, the COVID virus did not discriminate. Every news network has been hit with COVID, so many reporters across the networks got infected, why is no one tabulating? If journalism is the Fourth Estate overseeing political power, who watches the watchers?
I dont even know that many reporters who went to WHCA dinner and I can already count enough for two hands, said Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding.
If the WHCA dinner, including all the pre and post partygoers were to help science, so humanity could really learn from this, the networks should provide the data and research could have been done to inform the fight against the pandemic.
Dr. Milton invited WHCA goers who tested positive to contribute to science by coming to the University of Maryland School of Public Health to breathe into the Gesundheit-II so they can measure virus in breath with and without N95 mask. Gesundheit-II is a device Dr.Milton developed with colleagues at Harvard School of Public Health about 15 years ago to study viruses and peoples breath. I invited people who might have gotten infected at dinner to come out to the University of Maryland, College Park, and contribute to science by letting us measure how much viruses are in there, said Dr. Milton.
So how many people who attended WHCA dinner responded?, I asked.
Not very many, Dr. Milton was honest. We can test several people, two or three people a day. We did not exceed our testing capacity.
In science, we trust, says the media. People inside the Washington media fishbowl and political in-crowd should let the fresh air and the new ideas in.
Continued here:
The Covid Roulette: The Hard Truth And Lessons To Be Learned About The WHCA Dinner - The Pavlovic Today
