Check Credit Score
Check Credit Score
HomeNewsWorld

Trump takes swipes at Fauci, CDC as coronavirus cases rise

The Republican president, seeking re-election in November, has been increasingly critical of government health officials and their guidance as a steady rise in infections threatens the easing of shutdown restrictions across the country.

July 13, 2020 / 08:14 PM IST

President Donald Trump on Monday took swipes at health experts in his government leading the US response to the coronavirus outbreak, as his relationship further frayed with top infectious diseases doctor Anthony Fauci.

The Republican president, seeking re-election in November, has been increasingly critical of government health officials and their guidance as a steady rise in infections threatens the easing of shutdown restrictions across the country.

In the early morning, Trump retweeted to his 83 million followers the accusations of a former game show host that "everyone is lying," including the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid 19. Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust," Chuck Woolery wrote Sunday night without citing evidence.

Last week, Trump said he thought CDC guidelines for schools reopening were too tough, impractical and expensive.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

View more
How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

View more
Show

Trump then retweeted an April post from Woolery's podcast co-host that Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, wants to require "an ID card to go shopping." As coronavirus accelerated months ago, Fauci said it was possible the United States could in the future issue a certification of immunity.

The White House did not respond to questions about Trump's views on Fauci or whether the president believed the CDC was lying. Fauci's plain-spoken assessments during White House coronavirus briefings have made him a household name.

TENSIONS FLARE

Tensions with Fauci have risen with the decline of Trump's popularity in the polls over the president's handling of the outbreak.

Trump told the Fox News Channel on Thursday that "Dr. Fauci is a nice man, but he‘s made a lot of mistakes." Fauci said in a Financial Times interview the following day he has not briefed Trump in two months.

The White House over the weekend distributed lists of statements Fauci made early in the pandemic that turned out to be wrong as understanding of the disease developed, according to media reports.

Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to host a teleconference on the pandemic on Monday.

Trump trails his presumptive Democratic opponent in the Nov. 3 election, Joe Biden, in both national and battleground state polls.

On Sunday, Florida reported a record increase of more than 15,000 new cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours and infections are rising rapidly in Arizona, California and Texas and about 35 other states.

If Florida were a country, it would rank fourth in the world for the most new cases in a day behind the United States, Brazil and India, according to a Reuters analysis.

Health officials and the CDC have pleaded with the public to wear masks to limit the spread of the virus, but the issue has become a politically divisive issue in the United States unlike in many other countries which have seen far lower rates of infection and death.

Trump wore a mask for the first time in public when he visited a Washington D.C.-area military medical center on Saturday. He had previously refused to wear a mask in public or ask Americans to wear face coverings, saying it was a personal choice.

Reuters
first published: Jul 13, 2020 08:13 pm

Discover the latest business news, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!

Advisory Alert: It has come to our attention that certain individuals are representing themselves as affiliates of Moneycontrol and soliciting funds on the false promise of assured returns on their investments. We wish to reiterate that Moneycontrol does not solicit funds from investors and neither does it promise any assured returns. In case you are approached by anyone making such claims, please write to us at grievanceofficer@nw18.com or call on 02268882347