Newsom cautions residents against downplaying of virus

As President Donald Trump downplays the health effects of COVID-19 and tells the nation not to be afraid of the fatal disease, Gov. Gavin Newsom is countering with a stern message of caution to Californians.

“To minimize, to negate, to dismiss this pandemic as anything but what it is — a deadly pandemic, a deadly disease that’s impacting lives and destroying families as well as our economy — I don’t think that advances the collective cause or brings this country back together,” Newsom said during a press briefing Monday about Trump’s “Don’t be afraid of Covid” message to Americans.

Trump, who announced less than four days ago that he and the first lady had tested positive for COVID-19, on Monday returned to the White House after spending three nights in the Walter Reed Medical Center, the military hospital where he had been receiving care since being diagnosed with the disease. Upon his return, Trump ascended the stairs of the White House, turned toward the media and cameras and ripped off his mask, smiling and waving at those below.

In a tweet earlier in the day announcing his dispatch from the hospital, Trump wrote, “Feeling really good! Don’t be

afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. … I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”

Bob Wachter, chair of the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco Department of Medicine, quickly took to Twitter to slam the president’s claims about the fatal disease that has now killed more than 210,000 Americans and more than 1 million people across the globe.

“This either shows a breathtakingly callous, inhumane & counterproductive attitude, or he has altered mental status — in which case the 25th Amendment should be invoked,” Wachter wrote in a tweet.

The president’s comments came less than 24 hours after he briefly ventured out of the hospital by motorcade Sunday — disregarding isolation protocols meant to curb the spread of the virus — to wave at supporters lined up on the streets outside.

When asked about Trump’s downplaying the disease, Newsom said “it’s a political season, so it doesn’t surprise me or anyone.”

While California’s transmission rate is holding steady at 2.6% — the lowest rate since April — the spread of the disease in at least 21 other states and in countries across the world are beginning to pick up again. Newsom called the trend “a sober reminder” of the work California has in front of us.

Hospitalizations and ICU admissions have decreased by 13% and 15% respectively over the past two weeks, but health officials are beginning to see those statistics plateau, Newsom said. And 18 of the state’s 58 counties remain in the state’s most restrictive “purple tier” for reopening, indicating that they are still struggling to control the spread of the virus in their communities.

“As we open up more sectors of our economy, as we open up our schools here in the state of California, invariably we have to step up our efforts and vigilance in terms of the actions we individually take and collectively take to mitigate the spread of this disease,” Newsom said.

“… It will be the individual actions, the sum total of which will determine our fate and future and how quickly we can modify and reopen our economy until we have an immunization.”

The president’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said Monday that Trump has met or exceeded all standard hospital criteria to be discharged.

“Though he may not entirely be out of the woods yet, the team and I agree that all our evaluations, and most importantly, his clinical status, support the president’s safe return home, where he will be surrounded by world-class medical care 24/7,” Conley said.

Trump is expected to continue his recovery in the White House, where a coronavirus outbreak has hit many high-ranking U.S. government officials in Trump’s administration. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Monday became the most recent to announce that she had tested positive for the virus and was going into quarantine.