Finally, president and public coming to see gravity of COVID-19

President Donald Trump's Monday press conference showed for the first time that he is finally understanding the gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic. On multiple occasions he deferred to experts in the area like Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

It was a vast improvement on the earlier press conferences and Oval Office addresses where he came across like a somewhat confused older uncle.

He continues to miss opportunities to set an example. The press conferences could have been virtual. In a live conference, the number of attendees could have been limited and physical distances between those on the podium could have been kept at six feet.

He should set an example by not shaking hands. Medical caregivers have been talking ad nauseum about avoiding skin to skin contact. Even young children have been taught not to shake hands. For many children the alternatives of an air shake or an air high-five have been successful and fun.

Yet, President Trump finally realizes that Corona is not like the common flu. An individual infected with this virus may spread it to others five to six days before symptoms appear. It has a longer incubation period of up to 14 days, (as opposed to influenzas' incubation, which is two to three days) gives a lung disease that looks very different from the influenza pneumonia and is killing at a much higher rate. One out of 1,000 patients with influenza die as opposed to two to three out of 100 with COVID-19.

The White House appears to be aware of a possible "ventilator" shortage that in the worst case scenario would be in the thousands. These devices are used to support breathing if the lungs fail. To get enough ventilators quickly would be nearly impossible. President Trump's solution: the states should try and get them. What is needed is a warlike effort to manufacture and procure ventilators.

There is an even larger shortage of the high efficiency "respirator" masks. A loosening of regulations may solve the problem partially.

Testing for the virus is a huge problem. The technician getting the sample has to be in a full protective suit and has to change it between tests. When a physician orders the test, it has to go through a state site that filters the need. As a result, very few tests are being done and physicians and nurses are flying blind.

Various health organizations and news agencies have reported that one reason for the delay in the availability of the test is that Trump early on turned down an offer from Germany to send over the test they were using. The logic behind refusing the German offer is a mystery. The Center for Disease Control tried to reinvent the wheel and failed. Finally, academic centers and private labs have come up with the U.S. version of the test including an innovative use of the high-throughput system.

The dissolution of the White House's National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense task force for dealing with pandemics like these did not help. When asked, Trump did not seem to know that this task force was dissolved.

Alarming results of a recent survey found that even this viral pandemic may have become a partisan issue. In a recent NBC/Wall Street poll, 81% of those who self-identified as Republican voters approved of how the president is handling the situation as opposed to 84 percent of Democrats who disapprove. Those who approved the president's handling of the crisis appeared to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic, reflecting Trump's initial nonchalant attitude toward it. Hopefully with the change in the tone of the White house pronouncements, this may change.

As the directives from the White House are still fuzzy, governors, mayors, medical centers and ordinary folks are not waiting. They are taking the measures needed to fight this virus. At a personal, not political level, neighbors are coming together as they always have in times of crisis. The next few weeks will tell us if we as a nation are able to slow the spread of the virus and may be even reduce the total numbers affected.

• Javeed Akhter is a physician and freelance writer from Oak Brook.