Trump pledges COVID outbreak coming under control as Florida cases surge for fifth day

By Doina Chiacu and Lisa Shumaker

 

A police vehicle is parked next to a barrier blocking a street prior to the 8 pm curfew, imposed due to Florida's climbing numbers of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. July 18, 2020. REUTERS/Liza Feria

 

(Reuters) - Even as U.S. President Donald Trump pledged that the coronavirus was coming under control on Sunday, Florida reported over 12,000 new cases of COVID-19, the fifth day in a row the state has announced over 10,000 new infections.

 

The virus has claimed over 140,000 U.S. lives total since the pandemic started, and Florida, California, Texas and other southern and western states shatter records every day. Despite record levels of new cases nationwide, the Trump administration is pushing for school to reopen in a few weeks and resisting a federal mandate to wear masks in public.

 

Trump defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic in an interview broadcast on Sunday, including his statement that there were only embers of the virus popping up around the country. The United States, with 3.7 million total cases, has almost as many infections as the next three hardest-hit countries combined - Brazil, India and Russia.

 

"We have embers and we do have flames. Florida became more flame-like, but it's - it's going to be under control."

 

Trump on "Fox News Sunday" repeated his assertion that the virus will eventually disappear.

 

"I'll be right eventually," he said. "It's going to disappear and I'll be right."

 

Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned cases and deaths could rise this autumn and winter. Nearly all 20 forecasting models used by the CDC project rising deaths in the coming weeks.

 

Throughout the United States, every metric to measure the outbreak is going in the wrong direction - rising cases, deaths, hospitalizations and positivity rates of test results.

 

At least 14 states have reported record coronavirus hospitalizations so far in July, including Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Nevada and Texas.

 

Trump said he did not agree with CDC Director Robert Redfield that this fall and winter will be one of the most difficult times in American public health, as hospitals deal with the seasonal flu on top of COVID cases. "I don't know and I don't think he knows," Trump said.

 

Trump also called Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious diseases expert, "a little bit of an alarmist."

 

Fauci has warned that cases could soon top 100,000 a day if Americans do not come together to take steps necessary to halt the spread of the virus. The country is averaging 60,000 new cases a day and reported a record one-day increase of 77,299 on Thursday.

 

The Sunshine State has recorded over 10,000 new COVID-19 cases for five straight days, and nationwide every metric including hospitalization rates and deaths are rising. This report produced by Zachary Goelman.

 

Testing shortages and delayed results in some states are hampering efforts to curb the outbreak, similar to situations that frustrated state officials and health experts at the start of the pandemic in March and April.

 

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said on NBC’s "Meet the Press" on Sunday that people were waiting up to a week to learn if they tested positive.

 

“The average test delay is too long,” said Collins. “That really undercuts the value of the testing.”

 

Instead of expanding testing, the Trump administration wants to block $25 billion for states to conduct testing and contact tracing, according to reports in The Washington Post and the New York Times.

 

The White House declined on Sunday to comment to Reuters on those reports.

 

The number of COVID tests performed each day has doubled since late May but remains lower than recommended by some health experts. The United States set a record on Friday with over 850,000 tests performed, according to data from the COVID-Tracking Project

https://covidtracking.com/data/charts/us-daily-tests.

 

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington; Additional reporting by Nathan Lane in Wilton, Connecticut and Nandita Bose and Heather Timmons in Washington; Writing by Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-20

 

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46 minutes ago, webfact said:

"I'll be right eventually," he said. "It's going to disappear and I'll be right."

 

As aways, it's all about him.

 

The Chris Wallace interview was a tough one for trump. He looked lost, weak, confused and wet.

 

Weird he still doesn't get the "testing" thing? 

 

Next up, we'll "cure" cancer by stopping all testing and screening. Voila.

 

 

Edited July 19, 20205 yr by mtls2005

Total and complete surrender total and complete denial total and complete failure of an administration come on November let’s get rid of this failure ASAP 

Testing is up, record number of tests and record number of "cases"... surprise! That's called statistics for dummies. The mystery the "case" is solved... you're welcome. 

Edited July 19, 20205 yr by Tounge Thaied

4 minutes ago, Tounge Thaied said:

Testing is up, record number of tests and record number of "cases"... surprise! That's called statistics for dummies. The mystery the "case" is solved... you're welcome. 

I agree. Your version of the situation should be called statistics for dummies. For one thing, the positivity rate is also up. That means that a higher percentage of people being tested are showing that they're infected with the virus. But what's even more certificate is that hospitalizations have spiked dramatically in those states that reopened early against the advice of such people as Dr. Fauci. And what's even more significant is that deaths have risen in those states and are still rising.

19 minutes ago, Tug said:

Total and complete surrender total and complete denial total and complete failure of an administration come on November let’s get rid of this failure ASAP 

Yes. His response to the pandemic has been indefensible. He is responsible for a large portion of the American deaths from it. Also those to come as it's very clear that he never improves. He only gets worse. He asks in campaigns what do you have to lose. The answer is everything. 

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/07/19/coronavirus-us-failure/?hpid=hp_hp-banner-main_virusfiiasco-415p%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

 

 

The crisis that shocked the world: America’s response to the coronavirus

 

Dysfunctional politics, a lack of funding for public health and a rush to reopen the economy ignited the resurgence of the virus

 

Edited July 19, 20205 yr by Jingthing

I always wonder in what kind of alternative reality those Americans live who still support him?

Do they have TVs at home? Do they ever look at the internet? It can't be so difficult.

I wonder what the ratio of 'old' + 'diabetic' + 'obese' is to strong fit and healthy is in Florida ... ?

 

C19 may enjoy that state ....

5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I always wonder in what kind of alternative reality those Americans live who still support him?

Do they have TVs at home? Do they ever look at the internet? It can't be so difficult.

That's one of the problems. The internet is full of conspiracy theories about this calling the pandemic a plandemic and a hoax. 

ITs so sad that so many millions of Americans believe this idiot and even hold protests to refuse to wear masks or distancing or big gatherings.  

A post using a trolling meme has been removed. 

 

A post with offensive connotations has been removed. 

study shows their is an increase in infections but also a decrease in deaths and those states that did not mandate a lock down had 75% less deaths...won't hear these on MSM >  REUTERS

 

Just more lies from this stable genius. The polls show graphically that the American public are waking up to this habitual liar who says anything to that comes into his feeble mind. He shows daily that he is unable to rationalise facts. Yes, I am sure the Medicos were surprised he passed the cognitive test at Walter Reed.

Because they like us would be used to seeing the idiotic daily behaviour of this infantile,narcissist who brags about something so simple as though this is the first test he has passed by himself. (probably is)

Roll on November 3.

10 minutes ago, Siamjim said:

study shows their is an increase in infections but also a decrease in deaths and those states that did not mandate a lock down had 75% less deaths...won't hear these on MSM >  REUTERS

 

Produce this study to support your thesis.

How he can show his face in public, I have no idea. Some people have no shame at all. 

2 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

How he can show his face in public, I have no idea. Some people have no shame at all. 

He doesn't show his face to the regular public. Only carefully screened groups. 

 

Imagine him visiting a regular crowd of regular unfiltered Americans now! 

Why are so many against trump?

He cant help it if he has no grasp of Reality or the English language 

18 minutes ago, Grumpy one said:

Why are so many against trump?

He cant help it if he has no grasp of Reality or the English language 

Yes he would be worthy of normal human compassion if he didn't insist on imposing his dangerous delusions on the public in his role as the most powerful person on the planet. 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

"I'll be right eventually," he said. "It's going to disappear and I'll be right."

And after the whole country has disappeared he will still be right. And that sums up Donald Trump.

2 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

And after the whole country has disappeared he will still be right. And that sums up Donald Trump.

Yes even the best fiction writer could have never imagined a character like him becoming the US president. Certainly the founders didn't imagine that someone so completely incompetent, bizarre mentally, and massively corrupt could ever be elected. 

Iinsulting post. Why make this sort of nonsensical claim?

The states that did not mandate lockdowns did not have the high number of  infections in March. They  assumed they would escape unscathed.  They are shutting down now. They have no choice. Their hospital beds are filled and people are fed up with the inaction.

1 hour ago, Siamjim said:

study shows their is an increase in infections but also a decrease in deaths and those states that did not mandate a lock down had 75% less deaths...won't hear these on MSM >  REUTERS

 

Florida's population elected an incompetent Governor. They had  the option of electing someone somewhat better, but this is the choice they must  now die with.  I predict that  Florida  votes convincingly for the Democrat party in November.

36 minutes ago, Grumpy one said:

Why are so many against trump?

He cant help it if he has no grasp of Reality or the English language 

Many will not even bother with Trump’s shenanigans if he is just a citizen. But as a President where he is charged with great powers and responsibilities, he has failed and he is hated for dividing the country, weakened his alliance with allies, widening the income inequality and his lack of leadership and empathy in this pandemic that has resulted in record infections and deaths. He should resign. 

"I'll be right eventually," he said. "It's going to disappear and I'll be right."

 

Yeah...ahm...somehow, he is right on that one...

Just wait long enough...like 10 years or so...

"Blondie" will go down as the biggest joke in US history.

That interview with fox news was a train wreck. Biden should just play it over and over as a campaign add.

 

The best bit is him thinking he aced it and surprised all the doctors because he could identify a picture of an elephant.

50 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes he would be worthy of normal human compassion if he didn't insist on imposing his dangerous delusions on the public in his role as the most powerful person on the planet. 

Quite scary they gave the keys for the nukes to someone who's been a failure all his life....

More testing equals more positives the numbers are being manipulated for govts to maintain control over the populace. Thailand and the world govts have never had more control over the people. Wake up thai people I write the truth do your own research over the net or make phone calls to your public health authority

31 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Many will not even bother with Trump’s shenanigans if he is just a citizen. But as a President where he is charged with great powers and responsibilities, he has failed and he is hated for dividing the country, weakened his alliance with allies, widening the income inequality and his lack of leadership and empathy in this pandemic that has resulted in record infections and deaths. He should resign. 

And Joe Biden is the answer bruwhahahahahahahaha good laugh thanks for that your joking right. And those CV numbers are being manipulated mortality extremely low

4 minutes ago, spiekerjozef said:

"Blondie" will go down as the biggest joke in US history.

No sir I disagree he will go down in history as the most damaging president in American history it will take generations to correct the damages he has wrought the lives lost cannot be replaced amazing imo that a person with so many advantages in life could get it so horribly wrong 

4 minutes ago, cantata said:

I suspect this comment makes sense to you. Not so much to others.

Its 100% factual