It’s been clear over the past week that COVID-19 is not under control, no matter what the president says. Cases continue to rise, hospitals in some states are nearing capacity, and the decision to reopen the economy quickly looks more and more like a hasty choice.
HHS testing czar Brett Giroir said Wednesday that the United States' coronavirus testing capacity is at risk of being overwhelmed in some states by a surge in new infections and increased surveillance efforts in nursing homes and jails https://t.co/djeUfLA7k6
— POLITICO (@politico) July 1, 2020
In a briefing in front of Congress, Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Brett Giroir told lawmakers that the goal of “flattening the curve” had begun weeks ago, but is no longer the case. With growing fears that the pandemic will soon take more than 1,000 lives every day, there is no way to conclude that the virus news is in any way positive.
According to The Hill, Giroir said:
‘We are not flattening the curve right now. The curve is still going up…There is no question the more testing you do the more you will uncover, but we do believe this is a real increase in cases because the percent positive [tests] is going up.’
On Fox Business, President Donald Trump said that the virus will "sort of just disappear." pic.twitter.com/PyEmtUWKkK
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) July 2, 2020
Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump have made the rounds in interviews and press conferences assuring Americans that everything will be fine. Although Pence has encouraged wearing masks and has done so himself, he still greatly downplays the impact of the virus. Trump, on the other hand, cannot seem to make himself take any of this seriously.
During his interview on Fox Business, Trump was asked whether he still believes that the virus will just “disappear.” His answer was astounding.
‘I do. I do. Yeah sure. At some point. And I think we’re going to have a vaccine very soon too…We’re headed back in a very strong fashion. … And I think we’re going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point that’s going to sort of just disappear.’
12 days later: Herman Cain is currently in the hospital with COVID. https://t.co/XTkzvANtCe
— Aditya Sood (@adityasood) July 2, 2020
Girior warned Congress that Americans should not become complacent about taking safety measures. Even testing is becoming a challenge because of the volume of administered tests and hospitalizations, none of which bodes well for the future.
‘It is absolutely correct that some labs across the country are reaching or near capacity. Recent data from several states indicate rising infections and now an uptick in hospitalizations and death, even as other states and the great majority of counties are maintaining a low infection burden.’
#COVID19 can spread up to 26 feet if you sneeze.
WEAR A MASK.
This isn’t about politics. It’s about science. pic.twitter.com/Krwo22YWTP
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 2, 2020
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
