Nearly 40,000 reported corona cases in a day – that’s a new daily high in the United States. Vice President Pence still sees “remarkable progress” in the fight against the virus. Chief immunologist Fauci is less euphoric.
Despite record numbers of new corona infections in the United States, US Vice President Mike Pence sees clear successes in the fight against the virus. “We have made really remarkable progress,” said Pence at the first briefing by the White House Coronavirus Task Force in almost two months. The number of confirmed new infections increases, especially in southern states. However, the number of fatalities is falling nationwide. The situation is therefore significantly better than two months ago. There is sufficient medical equipment such as ventilators and face masks.
Southern states particularly affected
With nearly 40,000 reported cases, the number of new corona infections in the US reached a new high on Thursday, according to statistics from Johns Hopkins University. The number of infections in the southern United States had increased dramatically in the past two weeks after most of the corona restrictions had been lifted there.
The leading US immunologist in the corona crisis, Anthony Fauci, said during the briefing with Pence that certain areas are facing serious problems. In view of the development, some states are planning not to implement the announced easing measures for the time being. According to a report by the Washington Post, this applies to Texas, Arizona, Florida or New Mexico.
High numbers due to many tests?
Pence, who heads the White House coronavirus task force, said many of the cases of new infections affect young people who often have no symptoms and few of whom would die from Covid 19 disease. Fauci warned the boys to be considerate of others. Because even if they are less at risk, they could infect others.
The increasing number of confirmed new infections attributed Pence to an extension of tests – and thus followed the argument of US President Donald Trump.
Trump had downplayed the increasing number of cases before the record was announced. “If we didn’t test, we wouldn’t have any cases,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News. The U.S. has so far tested around 30 million people for the virus.
Pence defends campaign events
Pence used the briefing to defend the resumption of campaign events for which Trump had been criticized by health experts. “Freedom of speech, the right to peacefully assemble, are enshrined in the United States Constitution, and we have a choice in the fall of this year,” said Pence. Even in a health crisis, the Americans would have their constitutional rights. He called for continued protection against the virus from spreading.
According to Johns Hopkins University, a total of 2.4 million people in the United States have officially contracted the coronavirus. However, the CDC health authority estimates that only a fraction of the infections have probably been recorded so far. “For every case we recorded, there were probably ten more infections,” said CDC director Robert Redfield.
The House of Representatives spokeswoman Democrat Nancy Pelosi criticized the government for dealing with the Corona crisis. Resistance to science, “denial” and late response to the pandemic have led to deaths, said Pelosi.
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