Kayleigh McEnany tests positive for COVID
Ever since the series of positive diagnoses of people on the political right, McEnany has been tested regularly and until now she was always negative. But now she has tested positive, although so far without symptoms.
She expects to quarantine and to work remotely. She’s 32 years old, and a lean mean fighting machine, and so although COVID can get really bad for anyone and no one runs zero risk, statistically speaking her prognosis is good.
I’m not a person given to conspiracy theories, although I know that the current rash of diagnoses on the right (and none on the left, as far as I know) have engendered a lot of speculation about a deliberate infection of this crew by political operatives on the left. I don’t think that’s what happened – although I think that it certainly would have been a clever move if the intent was to peg the right as ignoring common sense ways to protect themselves, and to have that tie into the narrative that they failed to protect the American people, as well as to drive home the left’s constant assertion that we need to have lots of mail-in voting because going to the polls in person is inherently dangerous.
Except I think that deliberate infection would be a difficult tactic to pull off. Difficult, but hardly impossible. And it would have the potential to backfire. If everyone in the current group manages to recover without serious complications – and I fervently hope that is the case – what message does that give? A more hopeful one.
At any rate, I doubt we’ll ever really know why so many people in government were suddenly infected at once. You can point to a certain occasion that may have qualified as a “superspreader event” (such as the Barrett celebration, or perhaps the debate), but we’ll probably never be able to identify it. Also, it’s impossible to distinguish any of those events from so many others that did not seem to lead to infections. The Barrett get-together was held outdoors, for example. And some people who got sick had worn masks there.
Please get well soon, Kayleigh and the others.
Seeing how she handles the presstilence in the daily briefings I hope her illness is asymptomatic. She is a treasure.
That the Barrett event was in the open air indicates the transmission did not occur at that time.
Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone from the “opposing” team did something. I remember a disturbed individual who volunteered for a political campaign where he opposed the politician whom he was volunteering for. He was sick at that time, possible the flu if I recall, and licked the doorknobs of the office he was at in hopes to spread his sickness to staff and the politician. Apparently it didn’t work.
Though it is interesting that all of a sudden those closest to Trump are getting COVID within the last full month before the election and SCOTUS confirmation hearing. We do have to remember that early on Chris Cuomo did get COVID, quarantined himself, and later fully recovered within a month. No lung damage. He was no spring chicken but he was healthy for his age.
He was sick at that time, possible the flu if I recall, and licked the doorknobs of the office he was at in hopes to spread his sickness to staff and the politician. Apparently it didn’t work.
I think his name was Jeff Sharlet and he volunteered for Gary Bauer’s presidential campaign.
Mail-in voting was the primary goal of the Dems and how they plan to steal the election.
Neo,
CV19 is contagious, as you know. Therefore, one person can spread it to 10 quite quickly – unless the 10 are wearing a mask and social distancing. The Rose Garden event on Sept 26 was outside but an overhead photo of the event shows well over 250 people all shoulder to shoulder in a tight space and more than 75% not wearing masks. The virus doesn’t just rise. It can easily flow out from a cough or just heavy breathing – not to mention a sneeze.
I know there is push back in conservative circles against wearing masks and against trying to stop events such as this – and if CV19 doesn’t really matter [cause it’s like the flu] then that’s fine. But if getting CV19 is something that the Trump Administration wants to prevent from getting themselves then it would behoove them not to have events like that again until there is a vaccine. Apparently they say they won’t now. But they had to know prior to today that it was risky.
Photos of Rose Garden event
If it was an attack they may have overplayed it with only GOPers, and WH staff being infected. That picture immediately summons up the idea of “too much of a coincidence”. All it would take is one person willing to participate. And if the Chinese are involved I imagine the technology for the introduction/spread of the virus to be readily available. An FBI that was actually trustworthy would be all over this case I would think, but we know what to expect from that institution.
Montage, have you ever lived in a northern climate in winter??? If you had, you would have direct evidence of what happens to the breath aerosol outside in even close to calm conditions. The viral load after a mere few seconds is extremely low. And since you “believe in science”, the oracle CDC has stated it takes close contact for about 10 minutes to really insure infection. The incident had to happen indoors, your claim that the ACB event is the source is absurd.
@ Art Deco: The doorknob licker was Dan Savage, then a columnist for The Stranger, an “alternative” (read: progressive; read: regressive) weekly paper in Seattle.
In Montage-land the beach is an extremely dangerous place so take his argument about the outdoor spread of the China virus with a ton of pink Himalayan salt.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/315081
CV19 is contagious, as you know. Therefore, one person can spread it to 10 quite quickly – unless the 10 are wearing a mask and social distancing.
Your contacts at Correct-the-Record are feeding you bad talking points. This isn’t measles, which has an Ro absent mitigation efforts of about 18. The Ro for the Wuhan virus is about 2.
As a number of people have said, “three times is enemy action”.
Random things happened randomly, and unlikely random things happen rarely and randomly.
When a particular happening requires two or more random unlikelies to be congruent, you’re, in effect, multiplying fractions to come up with the likelihood of the Happening happening today. IOW, a very low value quite quickly.
A good conspiracy theory requires someone be seen to benefit. And obviously, the dems benefit by having at least a baker’s dozen republican bigs at least temporarily out of action.
So, chances of the republicans being infected is….whatever WHO says it is today. Chances of dem bigs not getting infected. See WHO. Multiply.
Recently, a writer referred to the 2018 crash of a chartered train with republican bigs on their way to a retreat. Hit a garbage truck parked on the tracks. A passenger in the truck was killed, several other people seriously injured, the train engine derailed. So multiply the number of chartered trains carrying Republicans exclusively in an given year (very, very small) passing that crossing in any given hour. Times the likelihood some whacked out garbage truck driver would be sitting on the tracks fresh out of ideas of what to do next.
It probably was random. Except for Hodgkinson and Covid, which, by themselves are random. All directed, two for sure and the third rather suspiciously, at republicans only.
I don’t see enemy action as an organizing principle here. Not a conspiracy to do this stuff. But I’m also skeptical of skepticism.
But if a lot of people think the same way, they need not conspire.
physicguy
It’s not absurd at all. You’re using your biased conservative brain and not your unbiased scientific brain. You’re saying CV19 is not contagious outdoors. Absolutely not true. And note the Rose Garden event with 250 people packed together in a tight space for an hour is not like 50 people walking around a park. Chris Christie and Mike Lee are shown both hugging people at the event. Do you think hugging someone close with CV19 outside is somehow a whole lot safer than hugging them indoors? Common sense would say use precaution regardless of the setting when getting that close.
Art Deco
Science is not bad taking points.
The evidence shows that the virus spread is not consistent. Some people can be around others with CV19 and not get it. Yet a birthday party in Texas in May saw 17 family members get it. What’s still a bit of a mystery is how some people don’t spread it and some are superspreaders. But it’s no secret that if you attend an event [outside or inside] and someone has CV19 it’s best to keep your distance or where a mask – unless you’re okay getting it.
Science is not bad taking points.
You’re not trafficking in science.
The doorknob licker was Dan Savage,
Savage is damaged goods. It’s indicative of how odious are the people in charge of our cultural control centers that he’s welcome in so many venues.
Art Deco
17 people who are part of or who have had close contact with the White House over the past month have come down with the virus in the past week. Six or seven days after one big event.
I’m tracking in science… As in they probably all gave it to each other at some point.
You’re tracking in – what – supernatural magic? You think all 17 got the virus coincidentally at the same time via some superstitious trickery?
Neo wrote: I doubt we’ll ever really know why so many people in government were suddenly infected at once.. To which I say the odds of that many people who are around each other each day getting CV19 at the same time is hardly surprising. Conspiracy theories are floated – because they always are. But the principle of Occam’s razor is the better choice. CV19 is contagious. How else do people get it?
In Basic at Ft Dix, Feb 69. Dry, cold. Everybody brought their virus loads from all over the country. Company formation sounded like a pack of barking dogs. Guys kept getting recycled on account of meningitis. One guy got it in our squad bay of eight. None of the rest of us. But we were frequently running around with a fever in zero wind chill.
It’s bad enough, but we were at the end….possibly…of the 68 Big Flu season. I probably had six versions at once. Never had it since. I suppose I’m superantibodied. No reason that shouldn’t apply to the ‘rona.
Oh, this is rich.
There’s a strong possibility that the WH got it from infected members of the WH Press Corps…
https://www.redstate.com/nick-arama/2020/10/05/heres-a-new-possibility-as-to-the-origin-of-virus-exposure-to-white-house-officials/
I am not a big conspiracy believer, nor am I a conspiracy denier. Start with the premise that this boggles the mind; and investigate aggressively.
President left Walter Reed (rightfully National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda) this evening. Two thoughts. If he is “out of the woods”, there are some amazing therapeutics available; and I hope all patients will have access if needed. Second. It seems kind of early. The crisis has typically been 7-10 days. At that point the patient goes down hill, or is generally out of danger. Except of course for potential after effects that can be very severe. Trust the experts until there is reason to doubt.
I pray that he is truly out of danger. He is the man this country needs right now.
This stuff is serious and at the same time we have so much more knowledge than we did at the beginning of the year when I lost my brother in law who was one of my best friends in February. He was old with complications and they had no idea what he had at the time. There’s that and meantime now we have knowledge and resources to deal with this stuff and being slightly older that Trump and in decent health I do not live in fear of catching or getting over this virus. I also will not draw conclusions with the scanty media information about who has it and how they think they got it. I am just about ready to move on through these final three months of this ever so strange year and I will deal with what ever comes my way.
This stuff is serious and at the same time we have so much more knowledge than we did at the beginning of the year when I lost my brother in law who was one of my best friends in February. He was old with complications and they had no idea what he had at the time. There’s that and meantime now we have knowledge and resources to deal with this stuff and being slightly older that Trump and in decent health I do not live in fear of catching or getting over this virus. I also will not draw conclusions with the scanty media information about who has it and how they think they got it. I am just about ready to move on through these final three months of this ever so strange year and I will deal with what ever comes my way.
Let’s hope Kayleigh and PDJT and Melania and all of them get well soon.
Also, hopefully, their recoveries will be a net positive: the WuFlu can be beaten and we don’t need to hide in our collective closets forever.
Dear Abby,
Until nobody ever dies again, for whatever reason, I’m not coming out of my house.
Please send whisky…
Signed,
Fed up in Covid Town
“I doubt we’ll ever really know why so many people in government were suddenly infected at once.” – Neo
One more thing to throw in the mix, via Jim Geraghty today: the tests used before all of the WH meetings, rallies, etc. has a very high false-negative rate. That is, someone in the core group could have been asymptomatic and shedding despite the test results, which would put everyone off their guard.
Montage is drawing the risk lines tighter than a lot of people, but not unreasonably so.
However, it is a fact that we aren’t seeing a lot of infected rioters in the news, and they certainly are not all socially-distancing with masks (the black neck gaiters, so I understand, are at the lowest end of effectiveness).
The lack of data is caused, however, by the assorted governments’ specific orders not to collect it, and also not to do any contact tracing (does that include the ones arrested by the feds?) – so take that for what it’s worth.
It does seem odd that no high-status Democrats are being outed as positive.
Many of them are out and about without masks, although the crowds in hair salons are not huge.
1. Leftists always seek to corrupt the election cycle, like scorpions, that is just what they do. 2. Like all cults, leftists at the minion level believe in what they don’t understand. Superstition ain’t the way. 3. When you let me know I’m your mortal enemy you gain an enemy who fears you not. 4. Best unsaid in polite company.
How do we know these “tests” are NOT adulterated to give people that viral load?
Some of the comments are really paranoid. Not quite up to Ymar levels though.
Re: Pres Trump discharge
It is always useful to watch the press conference rather than read the reports. What I got was that
1. Pres Trump had exceeded the standards for discharge for two days;
2. He was not “out of the woods” yet;
3. At the White House he would be closely monitored and surrounded by top flight medical personnel for 24 hours per day.
My own personal experience is that it is best to get out of a hospital asap. Hospitals are full of sick people. You can recover just as well at home and you are less likely to pick something up—something that has survived the hospital’s infection control measures.
I think Trump made a smart move here. He dressed it up as more than it was, and the media come across as hysterical ghouls. I swear, those reporters act like a bunch of trained seals. Trump gets them to perform tricks and bark like crazy.
Also, Trump’s comment about feeling better than he had in 20 years sounded familiar. My wife came home after brain surgery (benign tumor removal) full of steroids and energy. She was up straightening up her home office at 3:00 in the morning and looking for things to do.
Great performance by Trump.
17 people who are part of or who have had close contact with the White House over the past month have come down with the virus in the past week. Six or seven days after one big event.
They were in the open air, Dr. Science.
The epidemiology of the virus suggests that other than cross-contamination through forced expulsions from symptomatic individuals, the likely spread occurs through fecal transmission in locations with unsanitary conditions and individuals with poor hygienic habits. Masks are known to have limited value to control infection in the former case (e.g. source control), and are at worst counterproductive in general use. It is improbable to spread the virus in an open environment (i.e. without a greenhouse effect). The leading cause of infection is cross-contamination in medical facilities, and the leading cause of excess deaths are Planned Parent facilities.
Supposedly, according to “sources” within the administration, Trump pressures his administration not to wear masks.
If this was fake, then it helps prove that mask wearing is not really needed.
If this was real, it proves it is indeed contagious, but now soo impotent that an overworked, overweight elderly male (who, by the way, is a lot more at risk) can survive. It also proves that taking HCQ prior, as Trump admitted to, and that new, “unproven”, treatments work.
No matter what angle you take, it’s a win for Trump.
Latest CDC data: 20 to 49 years old – 2 deaths per TEN THOUSAND infected. That’s 0.02% fatality rate. For reference, “standard” flu runs around 0.1%, five times worse.
The Trump-hating politicians have used a virus that is deadly to the older, mostly retired demographic, but mostly harmless to the working demographic (and essentially completely harmless to school kids) to trash the booming economy which would have all but guaranteed Trump’s reelection. The collateral damage from their attempt should damn them to hell.
McEnany will be fine.
Trumpzilla!
https://twitter.com/GKJoe/status/1312791678885994497
(a couple of days late; ht Don Surber https://donsurber.blogspot.com/2020/10/trump-makes-covid-19-irrelevant.html)
Don’s a bit too much of Trump fanboy – I doubt that he actually makes covid 19 irrelevant.
But Trump’s fast recovery, showing great progress at treatment, is more likely to give more hope to undecideds, and make them feel better, than Dem fear-mongering. Less than a month before election.
Thanks, Montage, for being a contrarian voice here. In this case more reasonably than usual, like AesopFan says: “Montage is drawing the risk lines tighter than a lot of people, but not unreasonably so.”
There’s not really right or wrong about risk. 1 in 100,000? 1 in 100? 1 in 6 – like Russian roulette?
If you drive a car today, what is the risk you’ll die of a car accident?
https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
“Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 50 minutes. These deaths have fallen by a third in the last three decades; however, drunk-driving crashes claim more than 10,000 lives per year.”
Is driving safe? This is a bad question.
Is driving safe enough to accept its risks? This is the good question, with some 84% saying yes, in their actions.
200,000 dead from Covid – but most are with co-morbidities.
Sort of like driving drunk. A LOT more risky.
Trump’s recovery makes it easier to oppose mass mail-in voting, and push for less fraud with in-person voting.