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This is the equivalent of war. This is a big deal and people are going to die, and so you cant afford to make mistakes, said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Gingrich sent a note to Pence on Sunday praising the discipline he showed during a tough Sunday show interview about the virus, and he insists the vice presidents primary focus is on public safety. But Gingrich also conceded the tremendous political risks for Pence, whose own presidential ambitions are widely known.

If he does this well, he comes out of this as a very big national figure. If he does this badly, he comes out as a dramatically diminished figure. He knows that. His team knows that, Gingrich said.

Following an influx of cases on both coasts over the weekend, Pence took steps Monday to underscore the government's response and continue coordinating with state and local officials. The vice president led a Situation Room teleconference with governors in the afternoon, convened a meeting of the administrations coronavirus task force and cancelled plans to join Trump at a campaign rally in North Carolina.

This is the equivalent of war. This is a big deal and people are going to die, and so you cant afford to make mistakes."

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Instead, Pence stayed behind to hold a nationally televised press conference to try reassuring Americans. His appearance came just hours after it was revealed that four more Americans had died from coronavirus, raising the overall total of deaths in the country to six at the time.

Despite today's sad news, let's be clear: The risk to the American people of the coronavirus remains low, according to all of the experts that we're working with across the government, Pence said. This president has said we're ready for anything. But this is an all-hands-on-deck effort.

And on Tuesday, Pence will make a rare bipartisan trip to Capitol Hill to brief both Republican and Democratic senators at their weekly lunches.

Everybody needs to go into this knowing there are definitely things that will be beyond the governments or Mike Pences control, but as long as theyre being transparent with the public, with Congress and with fellow governors, I think theres much less political risk, said a former White House official.

Transparency has already become an issue since Pence took the reins of the administrations coronavirus reponse, according to critics who have accused the vice president of muzzling public health officials by requiring that they coordinate with his office prior to issuing their own statements. The New York Times reported Thursday that Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had told others the White House had instructed him not to say anything else [about the coronavirus outbreak] without clearance. (Fauci later said at a press conference that hes never been muzzled and claimed the story contained a real misrepresentation of what happened.)

In some ways, Pence has borrowed a page from his gubernatorial playbook by attempting to control government messaging as it relates to coronavirus. As of now, Pence spokeswoman Katie Miller has been tasked with fielding internal queries related to coronavirus and coordinating messaging.

But back before Pence had the weight of the vice presidency behind him, as governor of Indiana he attempted to create a state-run news outlet that would have featured an editorial board comprised of his own communications staff. The proposed news site, which Pence unveiled at the height of Indianas HIV outbreak in 2015, was compared to the Soviet Unions Pravda and never came to fruition.

Two people familiar with the administrations plans said the vice presidents office is expected to expand its communications staff in the coming days with loaned-out staffers from several agencies who can then streamline coronavirus messaging with their regular departments. The move would build on Pences efforts to consolidate messaging after Trump spent much of last week directly contradicting top U.S. officials who warned of potentially severe disruptions as more Americans contract coronavirus.

The criticism Pence has already faced for his tightened grip on the administrations messaging is a sign of the treacherous waters hes likely to spend the next several months navigating, where every misstep is critiqued in real time and then filed away as potential ammunition if he chooses to seek higher office down the road.

In fact, Pences handling of the Indiana HIV outbreak which critics have cited in recent days amid questions over his ability to handle the coronavirus crisis illustrates how politicians can incur reputational damage if they mishandle a public health emergency. Though Trump cited the Indiana model as a positive reference point during a press conference last week, others have cast Pences approach as disastrous.

Back in 2015, then-Gov. Pence waited several months before declaring a public health emergency and authorizing a needle exchange program after local officials reported an explosive increase in HIV cases in Scott County, Ind. A 2018 study by researchers at Yale University concluded that the outbreak could have impacted fewer residents if Pence had acted more swiftly as governor. Pence said he eventually changed his mind about the needle exchange program which he initially opposed due to his belief that it contributed to drug abuse after praying about it and soliciting expert opinions.

Its the same attitude Pence has adopted as he works to tackle coronavirus, according to people close to him, who said hes eager to punch through bureaucracy. Pence has been in constant contact with governors whose states have seen one or more cases of coronavirus, describing the administrations working relationships with the states as seamless during his press conference.

Having been a governor and been through these public health crises, hes learned a lot about it and a key lesson is the importance local and state officials play, Gingrich said, adding that hes confident Pence prays about this every morning as he tackles the worsening coronavirus outbreak.

One former White House official said Pence was likely chosen to lead the administrations coronavirus task force not because of his own experience managing a public health crisis, but because hes one of the only officials inside Trumps Cabinet whom the president trusts to be an honest broker among department heads.

The official said Pence proved to Trump that he can settle disagreements and assuage skeptics after he helped shepherd the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement through Congress earlier this year. The same goes for Pences handling of the U.S. Space Force, said Gingrich, noting that the vice president took Trumps vision for the sixth armed forces branch and quickly actualized it.

"You can feel the speed and the impetus that Pence has brought to the space program on behalf of the president and so I think Trump looks at him and says, Heres a guy who gets stuff done,'" Gingrich said.

Still, success in the Trump administration doesnt always translate to job security. Last April, for example, the president went on a firing spree at the Department of Homeland Security following a string of negative news stories about his administrations efforts to curb illegal immigration even as officials inside the agency insisted they were doing as much as they could without breaking the law. Even Pence, whose loyalty has never wavered during the countless controversies of Trumps own making, was left to fend off speculation last fall that the president was preparing to dump him from his 2020 ticket after Trump began asking friends what they thought of his genteel sidekick.

These realities will hang over Pence as he enters his greatest challenge yet: rescuing the Trump presidency and the presidents shot at a second term from a viral outbreak of growing proportions. If things go south, the vice president could become a fall guy, jeopardizing not only Trumps shot at reelection but his own shot at being crowned his successor. But as the U.S. death toll rose on Monday, those close to Pence insisted politics were the last thing on the vice presidents mind.

The most important thing to Pence is the health and safety of the American people, said the former White House official. He wants to do right by the president and hes not thinking about 2024.

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This is the equivalent of war: Pence faces the toughest test of the Trump era - POLITICO

Health officials are increasingly concerned there will not be enough personal protective equipment available for health workers should the coronavirus infections become widespread in the U.S.

Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the national response to the coronavirus outbreak, on Thursday visited the Maplewood headquarters of 3M, which makes respiratory masks for health care workers. He thanked company leaders for going into full production of the masks that in some places are in short supply.

You are playing a vital role in the health of our nation, Pence said. He also reminded the public that: Unless you are ill, you have no need to buy a mask.

Cheryl Peterson-Kroeber, Minnesota Department of Health incident manager for COVID-19, the name of the disease caused by the virus, acknowledged that getting enough protective gear including masks, gowns and gloves could be a huge challenge if the virus becomes widespread.

Part of that is because consumers are wiping out the commercial supply of masks as well as soap and cleaning supplies. Many stores in the Twin Cities have empty shelves.

Theres a huge push trying to get people to be sensible with their purchasing and stockpiling, Peterson-Kroeber said.

She added that currently, the Department of Health was not aware of any serious shortage yet at hospitals and clinics. We have not heard of people having to change their standard of care at this time, she said.

The masks health care providers need are called N-95 respirators because they block 95 percent of small particles. They are designed to fit tightly around the nose and mouth but are not 100 percent effective.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend these masks for the general public. They can be tricky to wear properly, be difficult for people with breathing problems and are not designed for children or people with facial hair.

Masks can help stop the spread of the coronavirus if they are properly worn by a person who is infected or someone who is caring for them.

Minnesota does not have a stockpile of protective medical equipment. Leftovers from the swine flu outbreak expired and were discarded years ago, Peterson-Kroeber said.

But some local public health groups may have leftover protective equipment and the Food and Drug Administration is considering extending shelflife rules so older supplies can be used as long as they are safe, Peterson-Kroeber said.

The U.S. does have a National Strategic Stockpile of protective gear and medicines in a secret location outside Washington, D.C. It is unclear whether that equipment will be used to fight the coronavirus.

As of Thursday afternoon, there had been more than 200 reported cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths in the U.S. Worldwide, more than 98,000 have been sickened and 3,356 have died.

This story includes information from the Associated Press and a pool report from Pences visit.

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Why was VP Pence in Maplewood? 3M makes the masks health workers need to be safe from the coronavirus - St. Paul Pioneer Press

As Donald Trumps vast incompetence when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus became apparent over the last several weeks, both the president and his allies began pushing a ridiculous, if completely predictable, line of defense: The disease, which has spread rapidly outside of China and killed nearly 3,000 so far, is being hyped by both the media and Democrats in an effort to hurt the president. The coronavirus is being weaponized as yet another element to bring down Donald Trump, recent Medal of Freedom recipient Rush Limbaugh told his listeners last week. They think this is going to be the thing that brings down the president. Thats what this is all about, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said of the press on Friday. News networks are doing everything they can to instill fear in people, while Democrats are trying to gain political favor by saying a lot of untruths, Trump himself claimed heading into the weekend. Anything that they can use to try to hurt Trump, they will, Don Jr. basically screamed into the camera on Friday from CPAC, referring to Democrats. For them to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people, so that they could end Donald Trumps streak of winning, is a new level of sickness.

Because claiming that one political party wants millions of people to die is kind of a bold statement, Jake Tapper brought it up to Mike Pence on Sunday as the vice president did the TV rounds in an effort to assure people that, as the new point person on the virus, he totally has everything under control. Theres been a lot of unfortunate rhetoric on the left and on the right about the coronavirus, Tapper said. Can we agree that neither Democrats nor Republicans want Americans to get the coronavirus and die from it?

For most reasonable humans, theres an easy answer to this question, which is: Yes, Jake, we can agree that neither Democrats nor Republicans want Americans to get the coronavirus and die from it. But Pence works for the Trump administration, where saying something that could be interpreted as kind or charitable to the other side is tantamount to treason, even if that something is that they probably arent hoping for millions of people to die. So instead, the person who is probably least qualified to handle an outbreak told Tapper: I think what the president said earlier this week and his charge to me is to remind the American people that the risk is low, to assure the American people that were ready, but also to say, as the president said, this is no time for politics. Then he tried to claim that Don Jr., the presidents oldest and dumbest son, had a valid point. Frankly, Pence said, I think that was Don Jr.s point, that there has been some very strong rhetoric directed at the president by some members of Congress and political commentators...Responding to the kind of things that have been hurled isis understandable.

Then somewhat worryingly, the V.P. added that with the proper expertise, the proper resources, and the prayers of millions of Americans, were going to get through this, emphasis ours because thats not actually how you stop an epidemic.

And in related news:

Of course, how Pence handled it was that he helped cause the outbreak, having voted to cut funding for Planned Parenthood, which led a clinic that had been the only HIV-testing center in Scott County, Indiana, to close; refused to distribute clean needles despite the fact that the disease was spreading by people sharing them; and then prayed the situation would resolve itself.

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Mike Pence: Don Jr. Totally Justified in Claiming Dems Want Millions to Die From Coronavirus - Vanity Fair

San Francisco Mayor London Breed publicly slammed the Trump administration Tuesday for its failure of leadership with regard to the growing coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter obtained by the Chronicle and addressed to Vice President Mike Pence whom President Trump hastily assigned to take charge of the crisis last week Breed said that coordination between the CDC, the White House, and the Department of Health and Human Services was sorely lacking, and that the administration's overall response was "anemic" and "deficient" as the outbreak of the disease continues to worsen nationwide, but most urgently on the West Coast.

"The lack of test kits is a national disgrace," Breed wrote, referring to the fact that San Francisco currently only has 250 kits on hand from the CDC. "We will not be able to contain, treat, or mitigate the effects of the virus if we cannot diagnose infection." On Monday, the city announced it was opening its own public testing facility for the coronavirus in order to decrease the turnaround time for tests from seven days to one or two.

"Leadership at the federal level is imperative," Breed wrote to Pence. "We cannot wait as the window to take action to reduce community infections is closing."

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We just concluded another public update about the steps that we're taking in San Francisco to prepare for the potential spread of novel coronavirus. @SFDPH began local testing today and will be operating tests 7 days a week, shortening the turnaround time for results. The SFDPH lab will conduct the tests locally based on expanded criteria from the CDC. It is important for the public to understand that there is no on-demand testing and test kits are limited. Testing will be done only after consultation between local health officials and the CDC. We're focused on protecting our vulnerable populations, including older adults and people with multiple chronic medical conditions. We're working with providers to ensure staff and residents are educated on prevention measures and able to rapidly identify and isolate affected patients. Additionally, we continue to reach out to patients in the Citys Health Network with chronic disease or complex health needs to ensure they have their medical needs met for the next 90 days, in order to help them avoid the medical system except in cases of urgent need. We continue to expand emergency staffing support. Beginning this week, SF will activate more than 50 additional Disaster Service Workers, in addition to the more than two dozen who were activated last week. The Emergency Operations Center has developed and disseminated health & preparedness information in English, Chinese, Spanish and Filipino. In addition to these efforts, outreach staff have participated in more than 30 outreach events throughout San Francisco since late January. The best ways to reduce the risk of getting sick and prevent spread: -Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; -Cover your cough or sneeze; -Stay home if you are sick; -Get your flu shot to protect against flu or symptoms similar to novel coronavirus. You can prepare for possible disruption from an outbreak: -Have a supply of essential medications for your family; -Make a child care plan if you or a caregiver are sick; -Plan for how to manage a school closure; -Plan for how to care for a sick family member w/out getting sick yourself. For more information visit SF72.org.

A post shared by London Breed (@londonbreed) on Mar 2, 2020 at 2:29pm PST

Breed's letter went out just as the number of U.S. deaths from covid-19 rose to 9 in Washington State. Also, the California Department of Public Health announced that the number of people in CA who are self-quarantining at home after returning from China in the month of February has risen to 9,215.

Photo: LondonBreed/Instagram

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London Breed Issues Letter to Mike Pence Calling Administration Response to Virus 'Anemic' - SFist

(WASHINGTON) Two people who attended the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington earlier this week have tested positive for the coronavirus, the group tweeted Friday. Thousands of people attended the policy conference, including some members of Congress and administration officials. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were among the speakers.

We have confirmed that at least two Policy Conference attendees from New York have tested positive for the coronavirus, AIPAC tweeted. They would be the first infections linked to the nations capital.

Read more: Doomed from the Start. Experts Say the Trump Administrations Coronavirus Response Was Never Going to Work

AIPAC is a major pro-Israel lobbying group.

Asked about the disclosure at a White House briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said health officials will be interviewing the individuals to see whom they may have had contact with, and try to determine who may have been exposed.

AIPAC said in its tweet that it is in contact with health officials in Westchester County, New York, and Washington. It urged attendees to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and to consult with their doctors if they feel ill or have medical questions.

If you test positive for coronavirus, we urge you to inform your local health authorities so they can properly coordinate their response to this situation with the appropriate health authorities, AIPAC said.

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2 Attendees at AIPAC Conference in Washington D.C. Test Positive for Coronavirus - TIME