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Coronavirus US live: Trump holds briefing after previously canceling it | Coronavirus US live: Trump holds briefing after previously canceling it |
(32 minutes later) | |
Coronavirus task force briefing had been called off following Trump’s suggestion last week that virus be treated with disinfectant | Coronavirus task force briefing had been called off following Trump’s suggestion last week that virus be treated with disinfectant |
Fact check: Testing | |
Trump announced at the White House on 27 April overall the US has now administered more than 5.4m coronavirus tests, which is approximately the same as the figure according to the Covid Tracking Project. | |
From a very slow start, the US, which was previously testing at a rate lower than many other countries, has gradually ramped up. With a population of 329 million, 5.4m tests equates to one test for every 61 people. On 31 March, as the number of cases and deaths was rising fast, the US had conducted just over a million tests, or one for every 301 Americans. | |
The briefing has ended. | |
Fact check: Ventilator shortages | |
Trump has at intervals questioned some state governors’ assertions that they face shortages of medical equipment and are likely to run out of ventilators, or expressed skepticism at numbers being stated, especially by New York leaders. | |
It is true that some states, so far, have ended up with more ventilators than they originally projected they would need. California has loaned 500 ventilators to states like New York. California hospitals managed to increase their stock from 7,500 machines to more than 11,000, according to the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom. “That has put less strain and pressure on the state’s effort to procure additional ventilators,” Newsom said. | |
However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a national shortage. The US has roughly 173,000 ventilators, according to the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University. Experts from Harvard Medical School predict that the US could end up needing 31 times that number to treat coronavirus patients. | |
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 U.S. 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.” | |
Trump was asked whether he has any information about Kim Jong Un’s health, which has been the subject of rumors and speculation in recent days. | |
He says: “I can’t tell you exactly. Yes, I do have a very good idea but I can’t talk about it now.” | |
The vice president appears to be arguing that the administration actually met its goals because millions of test kits were distributed, even though they were not given and processed. That is quite an argument. | |
We’re hearing a lot about very large numbers of tests that will be done during the month of May. But it’s worth remembering that we have heard big promises in the past about testing, such as the big promises of drive-through testing run by Google, that have yet to materialize. | |
Asked if he takes any responsibility for reports of people ingesting disinfectant after his own remarks, Trump says: “No, I don’t.” | Asked if he takes any responsibility for reports of people ingesting disinfectant after his own remarks, Trump says: “No, I don’t.” |
We’ve moved on to questions from the press. | We’ve moved on to questions from the press. |
A reporter asks why the HHS secretary, Alex Azar, hasn’t been fired. | A reporter asks why the HHS secretary, Alex Azar, hasn’t been fired. |
Trump says it’s an unfair question and attacks Democratic politicians. | Trump says it’s an unfair question and attacks Democratic politicians. |
Brett Giroir, the HHS assistant secretary, is now discussing an eight-part plan for testing. Apparently we are on step eight. | Brett Giroir, the HHS assistant secretary, is now discussing an eight-part plan for testing. Apparently we are on step eight. |
Trump spoke again about testing, and has introduced Dr Birx to discuss a “blueprint” for states to expand testing. | Trump spoke again about testing, and has introduced Dr Birx to discuss a “blueprint” for states to expand testing. |
We also heard from Krogers, Walmart, and Rite-Aid. Now we’re back to the president. | We also heard from Krogers, Walmart, and Rite-Aid. Now we’re back to the president. |