MORGANTOWN — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., held a short town hall meeting on Facebook on Friday to field some constituent questions on coronavirus issues.
About 1,600 people tuned in and he answered a handful of prepared questions in a session that lasted just over 13 minutes.
Manchin opened by saying he recently spoke with Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has spoken at times for the Trump administration on the pandemic.
Fauci told him, Manchin said, that we will see a soft, rolling reopening of the nation. How we do will depend on how we continue to slow the spread. That means the elderly and the chronically ill – among the most susceptible groups – should continue to take protective precautions and stay home as much as possible until there’s a vaccine.
On to the questions, one constituent said she gets a “payment status not available” message when she goes to the IRS website to check on her CARES Act sitmulus payment.
Manchin said people may see that for several reasons. They may not be eligible or haven’t filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return. They may have filed recently or applied under the non-filer category; in either of those cases, it’s possible the IRS simply hasn’t processed the information and their status will be updated.
Those who have questions, Manchin said, can call the West Virginia Tax Advocate at 304-420-8695 or his office at 304-342-5855.
Another person asked when antibody testing will be available. Some are available but more are being developed, he said. These tests may be able to determine who has had the virus and recovered. They may be able to donate to plasma to patients still suffering and reduce recovery time.
Researchers don’t know yet, he said, if antibodies can prevent re-infection or how long such protection might last.
Does it ever go away, one person asked, or will people test positive forever? Medical authorities say viruses generally don’t stay in the body forever, Manchin said, but researchers still trying to figure out how long this one stays or if you can get it a second time. There are cases of people who’ve recovered then tested positive again, but no one knows why.
More information on the virus can be found at cdc.gov, he said.
And one person asked if there are enough tests and PPE – personal protective equipment.
Manchin said there are enough tests for those showing symptoms but not to test everyone. And the nation remains short on supplies of PPE front-line workers. He used the opportunity to promote a bill he introduced, the Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act. It would federalize the supply chain and allow the White House to order manufacturer with the capacity to make the equipment do it, and quickly.
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