Jared Kushner asked Karlie Kloss's father for coronavirus advice - so he crowd-sourced it on Facebook

Supermodel Karlie Kloss is married to Mr Kushner's brother, Joshua

Jared Kushner asks Karlie Kloss's father for help with coronavirus response (Getty)

Jared Kushner has asked the father of his sister-in-law, supermodel Karlie Kloss, for help in leading the United States response to coronavirus, according to reports.

Kloss’s father, a doctor, then reportedly turned to Facebook to ask other doctors for help with the situation.

“If you were in charge of federal response to the pandemic, what would your recommendation be. Please only serious responses,” Kurt Kloss wrote in his post to a group of emergency room doctors, according to screenshots captured by the Spectator. “I have direct channel to person now in charge at White House and have been asked for recommendations.

“I have already expressed concern for need for ventilators and more PPE (personal protective equipment) for frontline and test kits.”

Earlier this week, it was reported by Politico that President Trump had placed his son-in-law, who was previously tasked with Middle East relations and who has no medical qualifications, in charge of deciding whether the country should declare a national emergency amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the report, the president is delaying making a final decision until he speaks to Mr Kushner about his findings.

After Dr Kloss’s initial post, which prompted hundreds of responses from doctors, the supermodel’s father shared another post in which he attempted to clarify who he is, according to screenshots.

Thanking everyone who offered suggestions for how the country should proceed amid the coronavirus outbreak, Dr Kloss explained that some members of the group had “challenged” him on the validity of his claims.

“So for transparency I will provide some background about my unique circumstance,” he wrote, adding that he has not shared this information in a “professional forum before”.

He continued: “Our daughter Karlie Kloss (one of the top models in the world, 45 Vogue covers and counting; proud dad commentary) is married to Mr Joshua Kusher. His brother is Mr Jared Kusher, son-in-law to the president and who is now directly involved with the response to this.”

According to Dr Kloss, he had repeatedly shared his concern over the country’s lack of preparation for the pandemic to his son-in-law over the last few weeks. Eventually, Jared Kusher came to him for help, at which point he decided to crowd-source responses from fellow doctors, which he explained he then planned to have the group peer-review, before sending to the president’s advisor.

“I hope to have this posted before I go to bed later this morning,” Dr Kloss said, before concluding: “In the almost 30 years of training for and practising EMERGENCY MEDICINE I have not been afraid until today.”

After receiving advice from the group, the doctor then summarised his final list of 13 points, which included suggestions such as: “Nationalise as in wartime production of PPE’s, testing kits and ventilators, pop-up field hospitals with ICU capability Israel seems to have expertise, decentralised testing away from hospital or if on hospital away from ED, Draconian travel restrictions, and cancelling all mass gatherings.”

The list also includes measures such as providing a massive marketing public statement announcement “explaining what patients to do especially not going to ED if not in respiratory distress (need to refine this message)”, locking down nursing homes and requiring the caregivers to wear full gear and provide frequent testing, and using emergency funding to compensate quarantined.

Upon concluding his crowd-sourcing of medical advice, Dr Kloss updated the group’s almost 22,000 members that “Jared is reading now,” according to a screenshot of his post.

While President Trump announced Wednesday night from the Oval Office that the US would be implementing a 30-day ban on travel from Europe, it is not clear which, if any, suggestions from the doctors the US government will implement.

Despite reports suggesting that the president is awaiting Mr Kushner’s advice, a White House official told Politico: “In his role as a senior adviser to the president, Jared Kushner is, of course involved in the coronavirus response, but he is not in charge of coronavirus research.”

As of Friday, there are more than 1,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US, and 41 deaths.

The full list of Dr Kloss’s crowd-sourced recommendations are below:

1. Nationalise as in wartime production of PPE's, testing kits and ventilators
2. Suspend EMTALA (the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act)
3. Activate FEMA and DMAT teams
4. Pop-up Field Hospitals with ICU capability Israel seems to have expertise
5. Decentralised testing away from hospital or if on hospital away from ED (emergency department)
6. Drive-through testing capability and I would add pulse ox capability
7. Draconian travel restrictions
8. Cancelling all mass gatherings
9. Massive marketing of PSA explaining what patients to do especially not going to ED if not in respiratory distress (Need to refine this message)
10. National Telemedicine for screening
11. Locking down Nursing Homes require all caregivers in full gear and frequent testing
12. Use state ACEP (American College of Emergency Physicians) for some sort of incident command structure
13. Use emergency funding to compensate quarantined