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Coronavirus US live: Trump holds briefing as 400,000 cases confirmed in America Coronavirus US live: Trump holds briefing as 400,000 cases confirmed in America
(32 minutes later)
White House briefing comes as New York reports it’s starting to flatten the curve of coronavirus casesWhite House briefing comes as New York reports it’s starting to flatten the curve of coronavirus cases
The task force has wrapped up its briefing for today.
Dr. Birx mentioned that though there are now 18,000 Abbott machines to run coronavirus tests at labs around the country, many are not being used. She said she will be having a conference call with labs tonight to find out the status of the machines and how they’re being used
Responding to a question about whether the death toll for coronavirus is being inflated, Dr. Fauci noted, “You will always have conspiracy theories...They are nothing but distractions.”
Dr. Birx said that in some cases, there may be several reasons for death. “The number of Italians who succumbed had three or more comorbidities,” she said. The virus is considered the acute reason for death.
“We will be attending church in the living room of the vice president’s residence,” said Mike Pence. He’ll watch an Easter service from his home church in Indiana.
He encouraged all Americans to stay home. “Avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, avoid unnecessary travel,” he said.
Several churches around the country have flouted regulations and held services.
Marianne Williamson endorsed Biden and condemned DNC chair Tom Perez in one very efficient tweet.
After dropping out of the 2020 race, Williamson had endorsed Bernie Sanders.
Distancing is “the best tool”, Dr Anthony Fauci said. “We know that this is something that is a strain on the American public,” he added, but it works to stop the spread of disease.
He also addressed the health disparities for African Americans. “We are not going to solve the issues of health disparities this month, or next month,” he said – so it’s doubly important for “people in that community to please try as best as you can to protect yourself... and people who are susceptible”, including the elderly.
“What we can do now, today, is to prevent people who are put at higher risk because of their demographic group from getting into a situation that is much, much more deleterious,” Fauci said. Going forward, the US will have to make a concerted effort to eliminate racial health disparities.
Fact check: voter fraudFact check: voter fraud
Donald Trump has left the briefing room, but we want to circle back to his earlier comments alleging rampant voter fraud. The president referenced a settlement in California, “where they admitted a million people should not have voted.” In doing so, he grossly misstated what that settlement entailed. Donald Trump has left the briefing room, but we want to circle back to his earlier comments alleging rampant voter fraud. The president referenced a settlement in California, “where they admitted a million people should not have voted”. In doing so, he grossly misstated what that settlement entailed.
In January, the conservative group Judicial Watch announced that it has settled a 2017 lawsuit against the state of California.The settlement required LA county to remove inactive voters from its voter lists, and required California to direct other counties to do the same. All parties to the settlement agreed there was no admission of liability or wrongdoing by LA or California. In January, the conservative group Judicial Watch announced that it had settled a 2017 lawsuit against the state of California. The settlement required LA county to remove inactive voters from its voter lists, and required California to direct other counties to do the same. All parties to the settlement agreed there was no admission of liability or wrongdoing by LA or California.
Judicial Watch estimated that as many as 1.5m people would have been removed from voter lists in LA county. But, there’s no evidence than any of those people voted illegally. Judicial Watch said most of that 1.5m would have ben “voters who have moved to another county or state or have passed away.” Judicial Watch estimated that as many as 1.5 million people would have been removed from voter lists in LA county. But, there’s no evidence than any of those people voted illegally. Judicial Watch said most of that 1.5 million would have ben “voters who have moved to another county or state or have passed away”.
At the time of the settlement, Paul Mitchell of the nonpartisan research firm Political Data Inc. told the AP that the case was insignificant because it pertains to inactive voters who “are not getting voting materials, they are not casting ballots, they are not showing up in precincts.” At the time of the settlement, Paul Mitchell of the nonpartisan research firm Political Data Inc told the AP that the case was insignificant because it pertains to inactive voters who “are not getting voting materials, they are not casting ballots, they are not showing up in precincts”.
In other words, the settlement got LA county to update old records.In other words, the settlement got LA county to update old records.
Fact check: ventilatorsFact check: ventilators
“It looks like we’re in great shape from the bed standpoint. It looks like we’re in great shape from the ventilators standpoint,” Trump said.“It looks like we’re in great shape from the bed standpoint. It looks like we’re in great shape from the ventilators standpoint,” Trump said.
However, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine published on Wednesday 25 March categorically concluded that the US does not have enough ventilators to treat patients with Covid-19 in the coming months.However, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine published on Wednesday 25 March categorically concluded that the US does not have enough ventilators to treat patients with Covid-19 in the coming months.
The authors, American public health experts, wrote: ‘There is a broad range of estimates of the number of ventilators we will need to care for US patients with Covid-19, from several hundred thousand to as many as a million. The estimates vary depending on the number, speed, and severity of infections, of course, but even the availability of testing affects the number of ventilators needed.... current estimates of the number of ventilators in the United States range from 60,000 to 160,000, depending on whether those that have only partial functionality are included. The national strategic reserve of ventilators is small and far from sufficient for the projected gap. No matter which estimate we use, there are not enough ventilators for patients with Covid-19 in the upcoming months.”The authors, American public health experts, wrote: ‘There is a broad range of estimates of the number of ventilators we will need to care for US patients with Covid-19, from several hundred thousand to as many as a million. The estimates vary depending on the number, speed, and severity of infections, of course, but even the availability of testing affects the number of ventilators needed.... current estimates of the number of ventilators in the United States range from 60,000 to 160,000, depending on whether those that have only partial functionality are included. The national strategic reserve of ventilators is small and far from sufficient for the projected gap. No matter which estimate we use, there are not enough ventilators for patients with Covid-19 in the upcoming months.”
Donald Trump appealed to Sanders voters. “Bernie and I agree on trade,” he said – though he’s better, Trump said.Donald Trump appealed to Sanders voters. “Bernie and I agree on trade,” he said – though he’s better, Trump said.
The Vermont senator’s trade platform does prioritize protecting American jobs, a goal that Trump has also said he has.The Vermont senator’s trade platform does prioritize protecting American jobs, a goal that Trump has also said he has.
“I got a lot of them in the last election,” Trump said of Sanders supporters. “They’re great people.”“I got a lot of them in the last election,” Trump said of Sanders supporters. “They’re great people.”
Asked what evidence there is of widespread voting fraud, Trump said, “I’ll provide you with some.”Asked what evidence there is of widespread voting fraud, Trump said, “I’ll provide you with some.”
“We’re going to find out about the proof,” he said. “You’re going to see what’s going on.“We’re going to find out about the proof,” he said. “You’re going to see what’s going on.
Fact check: Trump acted quicklyFact check: Trump acted quickly
“People were shocked I acted so quickly” on coronavirus, Trump said. “And everybody thought I was wrong because I did act so quickly as you know with respect to closing the borders.”“People were shocked I acted so quickly” on coronavirus, Trump said. “And everybody thought I was wrong because I did act so quickly as you know with respect to closing the borders.”
In fact, it was almost six weeks after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the country that the Trump administration moved to ramp up coronavirus testing, allowing laboratories and hospitals to finally conduct their own Covid-19 tests to speed up the process.”In fact, it was almost six weeks after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the country that the Trump administration moved to ramp up coronavirus testing, allowing laboratories and hospitals to finally conduct their own Covid-19 tests to speed up the process.”
Donald Trump may not have been expecting this, but a lot of other people in the government were – they just couldn’t get him to do anything about it,” an unnamed government official told the Washington Post. “The system was blinking red.”Donald Trump may not have been expecting this, but a lot of other people in the government were – they just couldn’t get him to do anything about it,” an unnamed government official told the Washington Post. “The system was blinking red.”
Trump once again said he hadn’t seen a memo from economic adviser Peter Navarro, which warned in January of coronavirus’s disastrous impact. “Peter sends a lot of memos,” Trump said.
Here’s more about the memo:
This is the US coronavirus taskforce briefing, but Trump was just asked whether he’d pardon Joe Exotic, the protagonist from the hit Netflix TV documentary Tiger King.
“ What did he do?” Trump asked. “Are you recommending a pardon?”
The president said he’d look into it.
Here’s more on the TV show:
Fact check: testing
Trump once again boasted about testing in the US, claiming that “we’re testing more than anybody”. Other countries that known being good on testing are now “calling us”, he added.
While the US has ramped up testing, it still lags behind other countries, including South Korea and Germany. South Korea has administered 486,003 tests, according to the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With a population of 51.5 million, the country has tested about 1 in every 113 people. Germany has done even better, testing every 1 in 90 people.
Meanwhile, the United States, with a population of 329 million, had administered at least 1,951,044 tests, according to the Atlantic’s Covid Tracking Project – so the US has tested about 1 in every 168 people.
Fact check: WHO
Trump again went after the World Health Organization, saying the organization was initially “minimizing the threat” of coronavirus and got everything “wrong”.
The WHO has been criticized for a 14 January tweet, which Trump just referenced, that noted that a preliminary investigation by Chinese officials found no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
But the organization declared coronavirus a “public health emergency” by 30 January. The Trump administration and the president himself repeatedly played down the crisis through February and March.
On 11 March, the WHO declared coronavirus a pandemic.
The president repeated a story about a Democratic state lawmaker who credits hydroxychloroquine and Trump for her recovery from Covid-19. “She’s in terrific shape, she looks fantastic, and she was very generous with her statements,” Trump said.
Here’s more on that state representative, from the Detroit Free Press:
Fact check: hydroxychlor0quine
Trump said the national stockpile is now equipped with 30m hydroxychloroquine pills.
But public health experts including Trump’s top infectious diseases adviser, Dr Fauci, have previously warned that there was only “anecdotal evidence” that the drugs could be helpful.
Fauci has repeatedly warned that there is no conclusive evidence to support using the drug. Asked whether it should be considered a treatment for Covid-19, he said on 24 March: “The answer is no.”
Trump made his first endorsement of hydroxychloroquine on 19 March.
As the Guardian’s Julia Carrie Wong has reported, belief in the drug’s potential to cure patients infected with the virus followed an extraordinary trajectory from a small study conducted in France (Trump’s “very good test”) to Silicon Valley social media influencers, Fox News, and then the White House.
Twitter has deleted tweets by the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, and the Fox News personality Laura Ingraham that touted the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine.
The World Health Organization “hasn’t accomplished what it was intended to deliver” Pompeo said, doubling down the president’s criticisms.
The president has repeatedly sought to shift blame for the crisis on the WHO, alleging that it responded too late.
Asked whether he thinks China has withheld information and whether the US will act on the president’s suspicion China has not been accurately reporting coronavirus data, Pompeo said, “This is not the time for retribution, but it is still the time for clarity and transparency.”
Pompeo avoided calling the coronavirus the “China virus” or “Wuhan virus” as he as in the past.
The state department is working to repatriate Americans abroad, according to the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo.
“We still have several thousand” US citizens abroad, in some cases in remote areas. Efforts to bring them home are ongoing, and “we will keep it up” Pompeo said.
“We send our regards to Boris, his friends, his family,” Trump said. “Hopefully he’s going to be OK.”
Yesterday, Trump detailed how he plans to help Boris Johnson, by alerting his doctors in London to “some very good potential cures” that US companies are exploring.