Tag: corona virus

Trump Clings To Unproven Treatments As U.S. Sinks Deeper Into Pandemic

Frustrated with his low approval ratings, the president is once again leaning in to hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment.

President Donald Trump’s press conference quickly unraveled on Tuesday as he struggled to defend a video he’d retweeted that is full of false claims about the coronavirus and complained about his low approval rating.

Reporters asked Trump repeated questions about his continued support for hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment a day after he retweeted several conspiracy theories about the drug. Multiple clinical trials have found hydroxychloroquine is not an effective coronavirus treatment, despite the president’s suggestions to the contrary.

“Many doctors think it is extremely successful,” Trump claimed when asked about the retweets, adding, “I happen to believe in it. I would take it. As you know, I took it for a 14-day period, and I’m here. … It’s safe. It doesn’t cause problems.” Continue reading.

Public health experts raise alarm as coronavirus spreads

The Hill logoA global pandemic outbreak of a new coronavirus will almost inevitably spread to the United States, public health experts are warning, putting new pressure on the Trump administration to act as cases begin to mount outside of the Chinese epicenter.

Those experts, many of whom were on the front lines of the battle against an Ebola outbreak six years ago, said the coronavirus represents an even greater threat to the United States. Though much is still unknown about the virus, which first appeared late last year in Wuhan, China, it’s clear it spreads easily between humans.

“We’ve seen what this disease can do. We’ve seen what it did in China. We’ve seen what it did on the cruise ship,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development who directed USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance during the Ebola outbreak. “This is a highly transmissible disease, and there’s nothing magic about China that means it’s going to spread there and not here.” Continue reading.

Spread of coronavirus in U.S. appears inevitable, health officials warn, as Trump defends response

Washington Post logoHealth officials in the United States warned Tuesday that the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country appears inevitable, marking a significant change in tone as global travel disruptions continued to worsen, South Korea exceeded 1,000 cases, Italy saw a 45 percent one-day increase in cases, and Iran reported at least 15 deaths.

China and South Korea announced new cases of the coronavirus, raising concerns in both nations about how long it could take for normal life to return. South Korea confirmed 144 more cases, bringing its total to 977, the most outside China. President Moon Jae-in visited the city of Daegu, where more than half of the country’s confirmed cases have been found, Tuesday afternoon local time.

In Italy, the epicenter of Europe’s outbreak, the death toll rose to 11 amid 322 confirmed infections. Austria, Croatia and Switzerland reported their first cases, most of which health authorities linked to Italy. Continue reading.