Trump announces testing plan as West Wing battles infections
Despite coronavirus infections in the White House, perhaps the world’s most secure workplace, President Donald Trump continued to defy public health experts yesterday by insisting the crisis was fading and that it was safe for more Americans to return to their jobs and some semblance of social activity.
The discordant message suggests the president is willing to discount the threat of a renewed outbreak in his aggressive efforts to push for a broad reopening and revive an economy in free fall.
‘‘Coronavirus numbers are looking MUCH better, going down almost everywhere. Big progress being made!’’ Trump tweeted yesterday. Rising caseloads in much of the country and more than 80,000 deaths so far contradict that claim.
The president’s efforts over the last two weeks to persuade governors to ease or lift lockdown orders, or for Americans to simply ignore them, were undercut when one of Trump’s military valets and a spokeswoman for Vice President Mike Pence both tested positive, showing the virus had breached Trump’s inner circle.
The White House infections prompted three prominent members of the coronavirus task force – Dr Anthony Fauci, the government’s top immunologist; Dr Robert Redfield, director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention; and Dr Stephen Hahn, head of the Food and Drug Administration – to begin isolating themselves. They are scheduled to testify via video conference to a Senate committee today.
In another shift, the White House began requiring those who work in the building to wear masks except at their desks, and senior aides and other officials wore them to Trump’s Rose Garden news conference yesterday, the first time they’ve taken such a step.
The president has refused to wear a mask, and he didn’t as he announced a federally backed effort to expand coronavirus testing in states, claiming a capacity ‘‘unmatched and unrivalled anywhere in the world.’’ The Trump administration has been under fire since the start of the pandemic to do more to develop and deploy the tests that public health experts argue are necessary to safeguard the public. Trump, who is tested every day, at times has suggested he opposed widespread testing because it would make him ‘‘look bad.’’ Yesterday, he said US$1 billion would be allocated for expanded testing, although it appears he misspoke – a senior administration official previously had cited US$11 billion.
Congress authorised the money as part of the US$2 trillion emergency coronavirus legislation approved in March. The federal government will not purchase testing equipment for the states, the official said, but will help connect local officials with suppliers.
The official said the money would ‘‘help the states ramp up their testing capabilities at a dramatic scale,’’ and the funds will be distributed based on caseloads and population estimates.
The Trump administration is encouraging states to focus testing on nursing home residents and their staff, who are especially vulnerable to Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Nearly one-half of Covid-19 deaths in California are in elder-care facilities, including nursing homes.
‘‘Given the high risk and prevalence in nursing homes, this isn’t a bad idea,’’ said Aaron Carroll, a professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine who has been a leading voice on the issue of testing. ‘‘But what’s the next step? What will states do when they get the results, especially if lots of staff are infected?’’ Carroll said some states would be better positioned to perform the volume of tests needed than others.
‘‘We need a comprehensive plan, and one that encompasses more than just nursing homes,’’ he said.
Polls show a majority of Americans remain wary of loosening restrictions too quickly and sparking another wave of infections.
‘‘If you can’t keep it out of the White House, how are you going to keep it out of the community?’’ said Craig Fugate, who headed federal emergency operations for President Barack Obama and for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush at the state level.
Fugate said he feared the administration was rushing too fast to reopen the country, noting that the effect of reopening too soon may not be known for several weeks because it can take time for symptoms to develop.
‘‘You’re going down the road at high speed looking at your rear-view mirror,’’ he warned.
Trump, who sees himself as a ‘‘cheerleader’’ and a ‘‘wartime president,’’ has chafed at any cracks in his administration’s upbeat messaging facade. – TNS