White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx met privately Thursday with Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials about the region’s handling of the covid-19 pandemic.
She also visited Harrisburg and met with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, according to the Penn Capital-Star.
News: White House COVID task force coordinator Deborah Brix is in Harrisburg, after meeting with Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto earlier today. pic.twitter.com/swgVU0wi88
— Stephen Caruso (@StephenJ_Caruso) September 3, 2020
“Dr. Birx, the mayor and public safety officials spoke about the Pittsburgh region’s handling of the pandemic, which she praised, and research her team has been doing into the impacts of university students returning to in-person classes has had on spread of the disease,” Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto, said.
It was a private meeting and wasn’t publicized beforehand.
This morning after a visit with @HealthAllegheny, Mayor @billpeduto met with White House COVID Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx to discuss where #Pittsburgh stands.
— Office of the Mayor (@TheNextPGH) September 3, 2020
Dr. Birx lauded @PghPublicSafety’s preventive methods as a model for first responders nationwide. pic.twitter.com/DzHfxdKkQQ
She also met with Allegheny County officials, according to county spokeswoman Amie Downs.
“Dr. Birx requested to meet with County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Dr. Debra Bogen and the county’s covid response team,” Downs said. “We were proud to host them early this morning and appreciated the accolades that they had for Allegheny County’s response thus far, and the opportunity to talk about best practices and share advice with Dr. Birx and her team.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has also done a good job containing covid-19, Birx said, according to Stephen Caruso, a reporter with the Penn Capital-Star, which covers state government.
Harrisburg-based ABC27 news tweeted video of Birx speaking in Harrisburg.
Dr. Deborah Birx just came out to speak with us at PEMA headquarters. She is a Carlisle graduate and response coordinator to President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force. pic.twitter.com/wVMQz5yRtR
— Sarah Gisriel (@SarahGABC27) September 3, 2020
“It’s such a privilege to be back in Pennsylvania,” said Birx, a Lancaster native and graduate of the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey.
On July 22, in a call with health officials around the nation, Birx warned that Pittsburgh and 10 other cities needed to get more “aggressive” in fighting covid-19 as cases were on the rise. Initially reported by the Center for Public Integrity, the call did not include officials from Pittsburgh or Allegheny County.
