9/28/2020

DJT,

            It’s the start of fall quarter here. It will be like none other. We will all do our best & will learn something. This AM, I got “up & at ‘em,” as my dad would say, beating my 5:45 alarm. So, I am off to a great start.

            I am eager to hear your update on our CV testing strategy today. Maybe you heard about Dr. Ala Stanford (AS) on NPR. She heads the group, Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, which has been testing folks in the African American community in Philly. The volunteers on her team are POCs, so folks trust them. I’m sure you are aware of the various abuses suffered by POCs which have made them wary of the medical establishment.  AS’s group sets up at churches and public housing complexes so folks don’t have to travel far. Since April they’ve performed thousands of tests & her $$ award from the city will keep her team at this for a while.

            We are doing lots of testing here at UCD, too. Every student who is living on campus got tested upon arrival last week. We are using a mid-turbinate nasal swabs which is not as intrusive as the nasopharyngeal swabs that go farther up the nose. We are also trying out a saliva test which will be run on an experimental unit we’re calling, IntelliQube, which uses an innovative low-volume, high-throughput format borrowed from the agricultural genetics industry. Everyone on campus will be tested on a regular basis. You might want to call our new provost, Mary Croughan, who is an epidemiologist. She can tell you all about it.

         Have you considered simplifying your financial situation? Owning 500 companies has to be a nightmare, & keeping track of your various losses so you can write them off over the years must be horrendous. I suggest liquidating some of those golf courses that are bleeding $$ right now so you can pay those giant loans that are about to come due. It would be nice to know that our president is paying his fair share of taxes & $750 just doesn’t sound right.

         HYITL,