News 25 interviews Dr. John Fleming with the White House

Dr. John Fleming is the assistant to the president of the United States for Planning and Implementation and also serves as a deputy chief of staff.

Today, the Ole Miss graduate took time in Washington, D.C. to speak with News 25’s Gabby Cox and she went straight into it.

Gabby Cox, News 25: “Dr. Fleming, obviously the coronavirus pandemic is affecting people globally, but what public measures should the people of Mississippi be taking right now?”

Dr. John Fleming, Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President for Planning and Implementation: “Mississippi, of course, under the leadership of the governor and certainly through guidance from the Trump Administration, specifically CDC have been taking measures to mitigate this and that would include of course wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands.”

Cox: “Since Mississippi has so many casinos, what is your advice to guests as far as pools and game rooms?”

Fleming: “We have concerns about casinos, sometimes people congregate closely and again the same guidance goes as any other place. Be careful about getting too close to people, especially people that you are not living with for the current time, not normally exposed to because you don’t know whether they may be carrying the virus themselves.”

Cox: “And specifically, how hard is the administration working to combat this issue?”

Fleming: “The Trump Administration, as you know, has provided dollars to the health care system, dollars to the economy itself, to small businesses, and we are right in the midst of a V shaped recovery.”

Cox: “Is there any vaccine that is close to being released yet?”

Fleming: “He has put scientists to work to do something unprecedented in the area of vaccines, and that is to produce a vaccine in less than a year, hopefully by the end of this year that will be both safe and effective and it will shut this pandemic down in this country.”

Cox: “Lastly, Dr. Fleming, people seem to be putting their life on pause until a vaccine is available, but what can people do until then?”

Fleming: “There’s a lot that Americans can do and should do. Look, most of us have been under a shutdown at some point, isolated from our friends and family, but look America needs to get back to some level of normality, but keeping common sense.”