Trevor Noah joked that the event was becoming a super-distributor – and now the cases are starting. The White House correspondents’ annual dinner, along with the celebrations in the days before and after, led to the inevitable spread of Covid.
In the aftermath of the WHCD weekend, reporters and staff from CNN, ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, Politico and other participating news organizations tested positive for the virus. Most of all, ABC’s John Carl, who was shaking hands with President Biden and sitting next to Kim Kardashian, fell ill, as Politico’s Maxwell Thani first reported.
There is no exact data to indicate exactly how many people have been infected with the virus over the weekend. But, anecdotally speaking, most of Tuesday afternoon seemed to consist of participants exchanging text messages and emails for colleagues and friends and people they saw who tested positive. This will almost certainly continue in the coming days …
I spoke on Tuesday afternoon with Stephen Portnoy, president of the White House Correspondents Association. Portnoy told me: “We worked hard to publish our protocols and encouraged those eligible to receive booster vaccines in the weeks before dinner. Our event applies protocols that go beyond any guidelines or regulations issued by the CDC or the DC Health Department. We wish anyone who may not feel well a speedy recovery. “
>> Also note: Although Carl did shake Biden’s hand at dinner to go on stage, he would have had to take a medically certified proctored test, which the White House uses because he thinks it’s a measure of contagion. , a source told me. Which means he was unlikely to be infected at the time …
Unlike Gridiron
In the coming days, there will probably be stories that make comparisons between WHCD and Gridiron. But there is a key difference between the two events: Gridiron is the only event, while the WHCD is booked by dozens of parties hosted by news organizations and talent agencies. In other words, will it be difficult – impossible? – to identify specifically where the Covid distribution actually took place.
Was it at the dinner that required testing and vaccinations that day? Or was he at one or more parties? Remember that the WHCA did not have oversight of external events. Some of the organizations that hosted them applied strict precautions for Covid, others did not. And there were many events in which people were tightly packed in small, closed areas with little ventilation …
It is not extraordinary
News organizations must also keep this story in perspective. It is not 2020. As vaccines and booster vaccines are widely available, this type of event is no longer unique. Every day, people assess different risks and decide whether to take them or not. I can’t imagine a single person attending the weekend’s events not believing there was a non-zero chance of getting infected with Covid.
Nate Silver did well. He tweeted: “There are undoubtedly hundreds of crowded indoor gatherings in the United States every day. Not to mention the millions of people who dine at restaurants, go to work or school, and so on. something extraordinary; that’s very normal! “
– Paul LeBlanc of CNN contributed to this report
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