(Washington, DC) – Yesterday, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) hosted her fourth telephone town hall, a community conversation on COVID-19 with Dr. Peter Hotez.  Dr Hotez is Professor and Dean at Baylor College of Medicine and Co-Director of Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.  He is one of the world’s leading experts on contagious diseases and vaccine development.  Nearly 1,800 constituents participated.

“We are at an unprecedented moment—in our own lifetimes and in our country’s history—and we all have many questions about how we will live with the virus, and what the future will look like,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “We are lucky to have one of the world’s leading medical experts working right here in our community, and I was grateful Dr. Hotez took the time to answer questions so many of us share.  His expertise is unmatched, and he has a gift for explaining even the most complex scientific questions.  His insights provided more useful information for our community.  One of the most important things I can do in this moment is share information for my constituents, and I will continue to do so.”

“It was a real honor for me to participate in Congresswoman Fletcher's townhall meeting yesterday.  Through her leadership and implementation of social distancing. I think we avoided a potentially devastating surge on the ICUs of the Texas Medical Center in Houston.  Now we need to prepare for the next phase as we begin re-opening our economy, and work to prevent a resurgence in disease,” said Dr. Peter Hotez.

This was Congresswoman Fletcher’s fourth telephone town hall focused on COVID-19.  She has also hosted three Small Business Webinars in partnership with the Small Business Administration.  And she has provided resources and information for her constituents on her website and in the mail.  Congresswoman Fletcher will continue to hold telephone town halls and online meetings to connect with Texas’ Seventh Congressional District throughout this unprecedented health emergency and while Harris County’s “Stay Home, Work Safe” order is in place.

You can access an audio file of the telephone town hall here.

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher and Dr. Peter Hotez at a Science, Space, Space, and Technology Committee Hearing in Washington, DC on March 5, 2020.