Coronavirus US: ‘stay calm, it will go away’ says Donald Trump

President Donald Trump advised Americans to just ‘stay calm’ and the coronavirus will ‘go away’ as he attempted to calm the nation amid growing fears about the outbreak.

‘It will go away. Just stay calm, it will go away,’ he said during a press conference on Capitol Hill after he met with Republican senators about a package to combat the economic fallout from the disease. 

‘We’re prepared and doing a great job with it,’ the president noted, instructing people to stay calm about the spread and economic impact.

‘It’s really working out,’ he added.

His remarks came as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo sent the National Guard to New Rochelle to enforce a mile-radius coronavirus ‘containment area’ in the Westchester County community with a large cluster of cases. 

Meanwhile there are 240 more infections Tuesday in the United States, and the death toll rose to 28, while globally it topped 1,000 outside China.

In other developments

• Trump came under pressure to cancel his rallies as Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders both canceled events in Cleveland, Ohio, Tuesday 
• The head of the CDC said there were not enough staff for tests, as the number of Americans tested stood at 8,554
• The terms of Trump’s projected bailout started to emerge with Republicans offering no public backing for them 
• The Seattle-area nursing home liked to 19 deaths said it had no test kits for staff 
• Wall Street’s wild ride continued as the Dow swung 1,100 points in a day, recouping some of its losses from Monday’s record crash
• In Europe, the German chancellor warned she expected 65% of all Germans will be infected, Spain saw infections triple
• A computer scientist projected that the U.S. will be as bad as Italy in two weeks.

On Capitol Hill, however, Trump radiated optimism – and said he had not been tested despite his own chief of staff, Mark Meadows, being in quarantine over potential exposure. 

Trump pointed to diminishing number of cases in other countries to argue the virus is successfully being fought. 

China has reported decreasing numbers of those with the disease. 

‘We are look at solving this problem. Some very good numbers coming out of some countries where it started earlier,’ Trump said.

He also argued more people die from the flu instead of Coronavirus, pointing out the United States has only had 26 deaths.

‘But right now, 26 deaths and if you look at the flu for this year, we are at 8,000 deaths. And you know, hundreds of thousands of cases, 8,000 versus 26 deaths at this time,’ the president said. 

Trump attended Senate Republicans weekly luncheon on Tuesday to talk about an economic package to respond to the virus. 

The administration and House Democrats are looking at competing plans to fight the economic fallout.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol Monday that the Democrats’ plan, outlined by herself and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, could be proposed and voted on as soon as this week.

This plan would include paid sick leave for those impacted by coronavirus, widespread and free coronavirus testing access, expanding programs like food stamps and reimbursing patients for costs related to the fast-spreading respiratory virus not covered by insurance.

Pelosi added that Democratic leadership could condense the congressional recess ‘if there’s a necessity — if we think we’re going to get some action in the Senate to do it.’ 

The Democrat leaders’ proposal comes as President Trump is proposing his own economic bailout plan in response to coronavirus concerns.  

In remarks following the meeting with the president Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell demanded that the stimulus package be bipartisan in nature.

He told reporters gathered at the Capitol that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Pelosi are meeting today to come up with a bipartisan plan – claiming the two ‘worked well together’ in developing an economic package in the past.

‘We’re hoping that he and the speaker can pull this together so that we end up not playing partisan games at a time, which seems to me, to cry out for bipartisan, bicameral agreement. That’s what I’m hoping to see,’ McConnell said.

McConnell said there was still a lot of negotiating to do with Democrats over the terms of the relief package.

On the other hand, the president charged that Democrats are doing nothing.

‘Nancy Pelosi just said, ‘I don’t know if we can be ready this week.’ In other words, it’s off to vacation for the Do Nothing Democrats. That’s been the story with them for 1 1/2 years!,’ he tweeted on Tuesday morning before he headed to Capitol Hill. 

Trump slammed Pelosi’s relief package as a proposal to try and pass other stipulations that he says are unrelated to coronavirus concerns.

‘They came in really chopped up,’ Trump said Tuesday of the package proposed by Pelosi and Schumer.

‘A lot of them are thing she wanted to get for other things,’ he continued. ‘We’re looking at the people. We’re looking at solving this problem.’

He also touted his administration’s work in responding to the coronavirus. 

The White House has been criticized for its response, particularly on the lack of kits to test for the disease.  

‘Our CoronaVirus Team has been doing a great job. Even Democrat governors have been VERY complimentary!,’ Trump wrote. 

He reiterated this point during his press conference Tuesday afternoon.  

But top Democrats are criticizing the administration’s plan for focusing too much on the economy rather than helping those directly impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. 

Markets suffered their biggest-ever one-day loss on Monday and saw a decline not experienced since the 2008 financial crisis.

The Dow dropped nearly 8 per cent on Monday, which concerned Trump, who often touts economic wins and market gains under his administration.

Markets saw a slight rebound as they opened Tuesday morning as the Dow raised about 700. 

The president told reporters gathered in the briefing room at the White House Monday evening that he would be talking with Senate Republicans Tuesday on implementing a payroll tax cut, helping hourly workers not be penalized for taking off work and crisis loans for small business.

He also said he is looking at helping cruise, airline and hotel industries as they suffer blows with escalating fears of the virus spread across the country.

Trump promised his relief plan ‘will be major’ as Pelosi says the Democratic proposal would depend on the Congressional Budget Office and how quickly costs could be assessed.

‘We are going to take care of, and have been taking care of, the American people and the American economy,’ Trump said from the briefing room podium Monday and left without taking questions.

He did not expand on plans to address these issues when talking to reporters after his meeting with Republican lawmakers Tuesday.  

Trump has continuously downplayed the threats of coronavirus, claiming the situation is ‘inflamed’ by the media and Democrats – even as the death toll in the U.S. hit 26 this week and there are more than 750 confirmed cases.

The threat hit close to home as U.S. and global markets plummeted Monday and one of his own Air Force One passengers, Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, self-quarantined after learning he came in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

While the president said he would be meeting with House Republicans and Senate leadership on Tuesday, he did not say if he would be speaking with Democrats, who control the House and whose approval is required for a tax relief plan to become law.

Pelosi’s office said that there is currently no plan for Trump to meet with Democrats.

Vice President Mike Pence who heads the coronavirus task force and was left to answer reporters’ questions after the president left the room Monday night, said he had not yet been tested for the virus.

He also said he has no idea if the president has been tested, even though he attended the Conservative Political Action Conference and has come in close contact with individuals who have had contact with a person who tested positive.

At 73, the president is at a higher risk of contracting and falling ill to coronavirus.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement late Monday night the president hasn’t been tested.

‘The President has not received COVID-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed COVID-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms. President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him,’ she said. 

Doctors and immunologist experts have recommended that those above 60 take extra precautions to avoid contracting the virus. 

In his remarks Tuesday, the president said he has no problem getting tested but doesn’t think it’s a ‘big deal’ because he isn’t showing any symptoms. 

He also said the White House doctor informed him that he didn’t need to get tested for the virus despite coming in second-hand contact with those who interacted with individuals who tested positive for coronavirus.  

Trump said that the world had been ‘blindsided’ by coronavirus, and claimed shutting down travel from China had been decisive in ensuring the crisis was not worse.    

‘We’re also going to be talking about hourly wage earners getting help so that they can be in a position where they’re not going to ever miss a paycheck,’ he said of his upcoming talk with lawmakers.  

The president’s Treasury secretary mentioned a menu of actions the president can undertake on his own.  

Trump vowed to work with companies of all sizes ‘so that they don’t get penalized for something that’s not their fault. It’s not their fault, it’s not our country’s fault. This was something that we were thrown into and we’re going to handle it and we have been handling it very well,’ Trump said. 

Europe engulfed by coronavirus: Angela Merkel warns up to 58 MILLION Germans – 60-70% of the population – will be infected, as Spain sees infections triple in two days and Italy records 168 fatalities in ONE DAY 

As many as ’60 to 70 per cent’ of Germans will be infected with the deadly coronavirus, Chancellor Angela Merkel warned today, as the contagion threatened to rip through Europe.

The infection is now transmitting between humans in nearly 30 countries across Europe, the World Health Organization has warned today.

Fears of the life-threatening infection have now engulfed the continent, which has recorded more than 17,000 cases and over 700 deaths in Europe alone.

Europe’s crisis – centred in northern Italy but now rapidly spreading – began with a handful of imported cases from China, but has now seen tourist attractions and transport hubs deserted.

Italy went into a nationwide lockdown on Monday night and today recorded its highest single-day toll to date with 168 fatalities. This pushed the number of deaths outside China to more than 1,000. 

WHO chiefs have now confirmed local transmission – when an infection spreads within a country – in 27 European nations.

It came as the number of virus cases in Spain surged to 1,622 infections and 35 deaths as universities and schools in the capital Madrid were closed.

Overall in Italy, 631 people have died from the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus and 10,149 have been infected in just over two weeks. 

The UK recorded its sixth death from the virus today as infections in the county rose by 52 to 373. Globally, more than 114,000 people have been infected and over 4,000 have died from the illness since the outbreak began in China in December. 

France recorded a 70 per cent rise in cases over Monday night, with more than 1,200 patients now known to have caught the deadly infection.

The country’s health ministry gave chemists the green light to produce their own hydro-alcoholic hand sanitizer gels following a shortage. 

Germany and Spain also saw huge spikes in the number of infected patients, while the UK’s toll has risen eight-fold in the space of a week.

Albania today became the latest nation to be struck down, meaning only a handful of countries across the continent have yet to record a case.

Europe’s escalating coronavirus crisis comes just weeks before thousands of British families will travel to the continent for Easter.

In other developments, a maintenance worker at Disneyland Paris tested positive for coronavirus, the theme park announced today.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen today pledged to mobilise ‘all the tools’ available to the bloc to lessen the economic impact of the coronavirus epidemic, which has roiled markets across the globe.

After EU leaders held crisis talks by video conference to try to coordinate their response to the epidemic, Von der Leyen sought to reassure businesses and governments spooked by the spread of the disease.

Among the measures is a coronavirus response investment fund backed by 7.5 billion euros ($8.5 billion) in EU funding – subject to approval by member states and the European Parliament.

Italy’s prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced a new government decree on Monday night, banning public gatherings, restricting all but essential travel between cities and imposing a three-foot rule to keep people in public spaces apart. 

 

 

 

 

 

Just 8,554 tested – and CDC boss tells Congress he doesn’t have the staff to keep up with demand 

The CDC revealed on Tuesday that 8,554 Americans have been tested for coronavirus, but the agency’s director says state and local health labs are understaffed and ill-equipped to keep up with crisis. 

According to figures published on the CDC’s website on Tuesday, 3,698 tests had been done in its lab, and another 4,856 had been done in public health labs. 

So far, 795 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the US and 28 people have died. 

It is unclear how many of the 8,554 tests that have been carried out have been completed to the point that there is a result, or if patients are still waiting for a result.  

On Tuesday, the agency’s director, Robert R. Redfield testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention budget on Capitol Hill.

‘The truth is we’ve not invested, we’ve under-invested in the public health labs.  

‘There’s not enough equipment, there’s not enough people, there’s not enough internal capacity, there’s no surge capacity.

He said, when asked how many Americans had been tested, that 4,856 had been tested by public health labs but that the number did not include ‘clinical’ or ‘private’ labs.

Lab Corp and Quest Diagnostics both announced last week that they had developed a COVID-19 test that doctors can order. 

America will be in lockdown like Italy in less than two weeks, computer scientist claims: Worrying graph shows how coronavirus cases in the US are growing

On Monday night, computer scientist Mark Handley, Professor of Networked Systems and part-time Roboticist at UCL in London, tweeted a graph showing how growth figures in other infected countries compare to Italy’s. 

‘Everyone else will be Italy in 9-14 days time,’ Handley tweeted along with the data. 

Dr. John Crane, an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo, agreed. 

He told DailyMail.com in an interview that the world had never seen anything like the outbreak and that the US seemed to be watching how Italy responded before making any drastic decisions of its own.

‘It looks like they’re on the exact same trajectory. Italy had an 11.5 day head start,’ he said, referring to the data.  

‘When you have straight line on a long scale that signifies exponential growth.

‘It’s not unusual at the beginning for an epidemic like this…when no human being on earth has previous exposure to it and no one has immunity to it.

‘This doesn’t change the fatality rate just the growth rate- we’ve learned this virus is pretty contagious.

‘This graph doesn’t say anything about the case fatality rate that might be around two percent but that’s still ten times higher than influenza and we have things we can do bout influenza, we don’t have a vaccine for this.’   

The situation in Italy is so bad, some doctors have reported becoming ‘overwhelmed’ and crying because they cannot stop people from dying and are being forced to choose ‘who to save’. 

Dr. Crane said it was impossible to know if or when the US would reach a similar situation or how long a potential lock-down would last. 

‘We’re waiting to see what happens in Italy and other countries. We’re waiting to see – they were under extreme, extreme conditions [in China] where people were not allowed to come out of their house.

‘We have no experience of that. Most of the country is much less densely populated so we would not have to implement it everywhere in the rural places in our country, rather tell them to just to maintain social distancing, not to go to bars and night clubs etc.

‘We’re trying to learn from everyone else who’s just a little bit ahead of us. 

‘If Italy’s pace of infection, strict isolation policy… we’d predict that it would level off but we just don’t know how long that will take. 

‘We’re learning as we go,’ he said.