Recapping the VP's visit to Rochester
Vice President Mike Pence, appointed by President Trump as head of the White House’s coronavirus task force, was in Rochester Tuesday, touring Mayo Clinic’s Covid-19 testing and treatment facilities. The high-profile visit came as the United States crossed the 1 million case plateau, becoming the first country to publicly report such a number.
Air Force Two touched down just before noon at Rochester International Airport, where Pence was greeted by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Representative Jim Hagedorn. Once at Mayo, the vice president met with CEO Dr. Gianrico Farrugia and a team of researchers. Pence also visited with a Mayo employee who had recovered from mild symptoms of the disease and was now donating his plasma for potential treatment.
“It is an inspiration to be here today,” said Pence.
Pence’s visit to Minnesota — his second in as many months — came on the heels of Gov. Walz’s announcement of a ‘moonshot’ initiative that would bulk up testing capabilities statewide. The governor’s plan, which relies on coordination with Mayo and the University of Minnesota, promises to offer up to 20,000 molecular and 15,000 serological Covid-19 tests every day.
“I had to be here at Mayo today because when the president and I heard about the ‘moonshot’ partnership, we knew this was the right state and the right time to come and celebrate,” said Pence.
The vice president’s tone during his trip to Rochester was much different than the one set by the head of the administration. Just 11 days earlier, President Trump sent out the now-infamous “LIBERATE MINNESOTA” tweet — one of three directed at states with Democratic governors.
On Tuesday, however, Pence praised Minnesota’s leadership, including Gov. Walz, for its response to the coronavirus. He said the work being done here has become “a big part of the American solution on testing.”
“When I hear about the innovation that has been developed here, and the opportunity to scale some of the new tests you have developed here at the Mayo Clinic, I know that we have only just begun to expand new platforms of testing around the country,” said Pence, “and it will be owing to the ingenuity, the creativity, and the expertise of the extraordinary men and women here at Mayo Clinic and others just like it around America.”
Mayo delivers pro-science message
During his time in Rochester, Pence heard from leading Mayo medical experts on its plans for not only testing, but also potential treatments.
As we have reported, Mayo is now conducting clinical trials into a number of Covid-related therapies. Among the most promising trials is a national study into the use of convalescent plasma therapy, in which antibody-rich plasma from the blood of a recovered Covid-19 patient is injected into a current patient in the hope of boosting the immune system’s response. Mayo serves as the lead institution in this national study, and while final conclusions are months away, scientists are optimistic.
Dr. Andrew Badley, head of Mayo’s Coivid-19 research task force, said in addition to plasma therapy, there are another three to four drugs showing promise. He told the vice president, “We believe these [therapies] are making a difference for all of our patients.”
Badley also used the opportunity with Pence to make an appeal for sustained federal funding for science, and for continued Mayo involvement in setting national guidelines related to coronavirus policy.
As Mayo and other institutions continue to research potential therapies, President Trump has found himself in hot water over statements supporting unverified treatment options.
Most notably, Trump has touted the potential of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug that has shown promise in limited testing, but is not proven to successfully and consistently treat Covid-19. Meanwhile, extended use of the drug can lead to cardiac arrhythmia.
Mayo itself warned about the drug’s risks in an “urgent study” released on March 25, calling for all patients who take hydroxychloroquine to receive regular cardiac screenings. The study was widely publicized as a rebuke of Trump’s seemingly off-the-cuff statements on the drug.
Still, Mayo leaders continue to welcome a relationship with the White House. Speaking to Pence on Tuesday, Dr. Farrugia called the pandemic an opportunity for Mayo to show “essential leadership.”
“We take this very seriously,” said Farrugia, who in March met with Pence in the West Wing. “It’s Mayo’s DNA to be able to tackle patients of complex and serious diseases, and this is a perfect example.”
Pence ignores mask policy
Before Pence could leave Minnesota, social media was already abuzz with condemnation over his decision to forgo wearing a mask while touring Mayo’s campus. The lack of face covering was especially noticeable given that every other individual chose to abide by a Mayo policy requiring “all patients, visitors and staff to wear a face covering or mask.”
Mayo later tweeted out that it had “informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today” — suggesting Pence may have knowingly skirted the rules. That tweet was deleted minutes later; by that time, however, it had become an international story. (Mayo has since put out a statement confirming it had notified the VP’s office of the policy. On social media, though, its official accounts include no mention of the subject.)
Pence has defended the decision to not cover his face, noting that he and everyone around him are regularly tested for the virus. He told reporters, “Since I don’t have the coronavirus, I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible health care personnel, and look them in the eye and say thank you.”
Since images began circulating of Pence’s visit Mayo, a number of media personalities and politicians have come forward to fiercely criticize his decision, including former presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard.
“In Pence’s visit to the Mayo Clinic, he was trying to show us how ‘tough’ he is—but just showed his arrogance, lack of concern for others, and vanity, Rep. Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii, wrote on Twitter.
Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.
Cover photo via the Mayo Clinic News Network
