[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 194 (Monday, November 16, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6692-S6693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Coronavirus

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, it is no secret that in parts of Texas 
and in cities across the country, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations 
are on the rise. Dr. Angela Clendenin is an epidemiologist at Texas A&M 
University's School of Public Health, and she attributes this increase 
to what she calls pandemic fatigue.
  After months of vigorous handwashing and mask wearing, it seems that 
people are becoming less and less vigilant. She said, if we continue in 
the behaviors that we are behaving in right now without regulatory 
intervention, we are going to continue in the direction we are headed. 
I guess that is one way of saying if we don't shape up, the present 
spread of the virus will continue with, perhaps, in some instances, 
dangerous, even fatal, consequences.
  That is a path we should not head down and one that will put an even 
greater strain on our healthcare workers. I guess, as I think about it, 
there are two ways to approach this pandemic. One is to leave it to 
government to tell us what we can and cannot do, to engage in more and 
more lockdowns and deprivation of our individual liberty or we can take 
personal responsibility. Speaking for myself, and I hope others, I hope 
the personal responsibility route is the one we will take.
  From staffing shortages due to the coronavirus exposure to short 
supplies of personal protective equipment, to a lack of critical 
equipment like ventilators, our frontline healthcare workers have 
carried on this fight in the face of tremendous challenges. Now, with 
cases climbing in parts of my State and around the country, these 
heroes are in dire need of another line of defense.
  The public--meaning Congress--on their behalf has the power to 
provide that help. Through the same simple steps we heard about since 
the beginning of the pandemic, we can stop or at least dramatically 
slow the transmission of COVID-19.
  Again, it gets back to the basics we have all been taught and I think 
more or less most of us have been employing: washing your hands, 
wearing a mask, practice social distancing, and don't let the pandemic 
fatigue win.
  We need to all remain vigilant and committed to these basic practices 
until the experts tell us that COVID-19 is no longer a threat--likely, 
a point after which the vaccine has been widely deployed. None of us 
knows exactly when that might happen, but we have been getting some 
great news this last week or so about scientific developments that have 
been funded by the efforts that we in Congress have taken together on a 
bipartisan basis.
  On Friday, in my State, the Governor announced the Department of 
Health and Human Services will distribute a new COVID-19 therapy to 
hospitals across the State as early as this week. The antibody 
treatment is produced by Eli Lilly and will be critical in reducing 
hospitalizations. It is meant for those who are known to be at a higher 
risk of developing severe symptoms, like the elderly or those with 
underlying chronic illness. For those who are diagnosed with COVID-19, 
this drug may be effective in preventing the onset of severe symptoms. 
The antibody treatment received emergency use authorization from the 
Food and Drug Administration last week, and I am hopeful it will help 
stop or at least slow dramatically the alarming rise in 
hospitalizations that we have seen across parts of my State.
  So far, about 80,000 doses are ready for distribution nationwide, and 
we should have that up to a million doses a day by the end of the year. 
While the quantity is limited at this point, every single dose could 
mean a life saved. This alone is cause for hope.
  But the good news doesn't stop there. Last week, Pfizer announced its 
COVID-19 vaccine has been more than 90 percent effective in clinical 
trials. Just this morning, Moderna announced its vaccine candidate is 
nearly 95 percent effective--just incredible results. This is exactly 
why we invested billions of dollars in developing these lifesaving 
drugs earlier this year. The funding that we have appropriated has 
supported not only research and development but manufacturing of 
vaccines and therapeutics. We wanted to be sure that distribution could 
begin as soon as these drugs were approved as safe and effective, and 
that is exactly the direction we are headed in.
  We are on track to have tens of millions of doses of vaccine 
available by the end of the year, likely from at least two different 
drug makers. This historic investment has led to historic progress.
  I could not be more proud of the men and women who have made this 
possible. I am incredibly grateful to the

[[Page S6693]]

healthcare workers who are continuing to fight this serious infection 
on the frontlines.
  I want to thank the researchers and scientists and thousands of 
volunteers who are supporting the development of vaccines and 
therapeutics. Beyond the physical toll this virus has taken, it is also 
having a profound impact on this country's mental health. This pandemic 
has brought on a range of new stressors, including isolation, financial 
struggles, health anxiety, and the stress of teaching children from 
home.
  In a Kaiser Family Foundation poll in March, roughly, one-third of 
adults reported that their mental health was negatively affected by 
pandemic-related stresses. By July, that number has risen to more than 
half of the adults in the United States.
  As we continue to discuss what future coronavirus legislation will 
look like, we should not--we must not--ignore the mental health impact.
  I have spoken at length about the need to support community mental 
health centers and community behavioral health organizations, which are 
vital mental health providers across much of my State and across the 
Nation. These providers are a critical source of care and support for 
those who battle mental health and substance abuse disorders, and the 
need for their services has only risen during the pandemic.
  The one group that is too often ignored in conversations about mental 
health care is made up of those transitioning from the criminal justice 
system as well. More than half of those in the criminal justice system 
have experienced a mental health issue, and our criminal justice system 
is ill-suited to provide the sort of treatment and support they need. 
Yet, even when these individuals do receive treatment while they are 
incarcerated, they are rarely given the tools they need to succeed upon 
their release. Approximately 80 percent of these people are uninsured 
after being released, making it nearly impossible for them to continue 
their mental health treatment.
  Earlier this year, I and Senator Blumenthal of Connecticut introduced 
the Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Act to support those who 
have become part of the criminal justice system and provide a stable 
source of treatment for them after they leave incarceration.
  Most prisoners who receive treatment for a mental health or substance 
abuse disorder are released without their having plans to keep up with 
their regimes. This leads to higher recidivism rates, which could be 
avoided. It also means that law enforcement is too often left to be the 
first responder to a mental health crisis, which can escalate those 
scenarios and put both the officers and the individuals at risk.
  Our bill creates grants to connect law enforcement officials to 
State, Federal, and local resources to help individuals who are either 
engaged in the criminal justice system or who are being released from 
prison get access to the support they need. These grants connect those 
services to make sure that people who are suffering acute episodes can 
access treatment without there being the risk of unnecessary 
incarceration. Many times, these people need help. They don't need to 
go back to jail. It has the ability to strengthen our community-based 
crisis response, reduce suicides during incarceration, and close the 
revolving door that leads people back to prison.
  I hope the Senate can pass this legislation soon and that our 
colleagues in the House will follow suit. With the ongoing mental 
health challenges that have been brought on by COVID-19, there could 
not be a more critical time to strengthen our Nation's mental health 
resources.

                          ____________________