DC Public Library System

Memoir of a pandemic, fighting COVID from the front lines to the White House, Brett P. Giroir, MD

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

autobiography

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Memoir of a pandemic

bibliography

1350803272

Brett P. Giroir, MD

Joseph V. Hughes Jr. and Holly O. Hughes series on the presidency and leadership

fighting COVID from the front lines to the White House

"In January 2020, Admiral Brett P. Giroir, MD, was among the first federal leaders tapped to handle the reintegration of US citizens from Wuhan, China, in the earliest days of what became the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, he was one of the few to see what everyone believed were the only Americans exposed to the novel virus at the time. Ultimately, Giroir would be called to serve on the White House Coronavirus Task Force under President Donald Trump. Rather than being an exhaustive and comprehensive history of the pandemic response, this memoir adds to the historical record through personal narrative and by contextualizing several key inflection points. Giroir reflects upon his time on the front lines of the early cruise ship outbreaks and makeshift hospitals and in the Situation Room in the White House. He explains the complex backdrop of personalities, policies, and politics that influenced critical decisions as the pandemic developed. In doing so, he also shines a light on the unknown characters who played critical roles in the national COVID response, the personalities and conflicts involved, the intense debates about policies and perceptions, and the decision-making processes that led to our national plan-for better or worse. Giroir concludes that overcoming a pandemic is not as easy as merely replacing a president or "following the science." The inescapable fact is that the human species will remain vulnerable to pandemics, even more so in the future because of factors both natural and human influenced. Our ability to respond to future pandemics will depend on the adequacy of our preparation, the capabilities and relationships of individual leaders, and the inevitable politics of the day. For now, an important retrospective of what we did, both right and wrong, is imperative"--, Provided by publisher

My Last Day in the Situation Room -- From the Department of Pediatrics to the Department of Defense -- The Trump Team Calls -- Nature's Warning Shots: H1N1 and Ebola -- The Pandemic Begins -- Who's in Charge? -- Seven Days in March -- FEMA Full-Court Press -- Anybody That Wants a Test... -- Rapid Antigen Tests Finally Arrive -- Inside the White House Coronavirus Task Force -- Keeping the United States Biosafe in the Twenty-First Century