Surge Of COVID-19 Disinformation Threatens Lives

While the cases are surging, the administration has been sending out misguided messages, including downplaying the dangers of the virus. The lack of transparency makes the fight against COVID-19 difficult

THE United States is entering a new surge of coronavirus cases and of dangerous disinformation coming from the White House.

It originally was President Trump who ignored the threat, claiming in February that the virus would disappear “like a miracle.” Now it’s Vice President Mike Pence, the head of the administration’s Coronavirus Task Force, repeatedly insisting that the surge in cases is due to more testing.

Let’s be clear: The reason the nation, California and the Bay Area are experiencing significant increases in COVID-19 cases is not just because we’re testing more people. It’s also because a greater portion of people being tested have the virus.

Two weeks ago, an average of the prior seven days showed that 4.4 percent of the tests nationwide were coming back positive. Today, that positivity rate has shot up to 6.9 percent. Put another way, tests for the coronavirus are 57 percent more likely to be positive today than they were just two weeks ago.

We’re seeing the same trend in California, where the rate has increased from 4.4 percent to 5.9 percent over the past three weeks. And more people are being hospitalised. In California, there are more people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in hospitals than at any time in three months.

While the health of Americans and of Californians, in particular, is suffering as we reopen the economy, Trump and Pence continue downplaying the danger of the virus.

The vice president suggests that the surge is due only to increased testing. The president ignores health experts as he refuses to wear a mask. Their message: No problem here, let’s move on. Consequently, the virus spread continues and at a faster rate.

It’s not just Trump and Pence who are disseminating misguided messages. Governor Gavin Newsom continues to try to walk a political tightrope rather than acting decisively. After a strong start pushing residents to stay home if they didn’t need to go out, he then let the state rapidly reopen.

Then when cases predictably started quickly rising, he required wearing of masks in public, a step that was long overdue, and then over the weekend closed bars in some counties, a seemingly random action. Why bars Why not construction sites or restaurants

That would require analysing the occupations of coronavirus cases. There’s no sign the state is doing such an analysis. Meanwhile, it balks at releasing data so others could.

Equally disconcerting is the message coming from Contra Costa. On Monday, health officials there reported coronavirus hospitalisations had increased 75 percent in the past two weeks. The number of daily cases had doubled. And the rate of positive test results had surged from 4 percent to 6 percent.

The county’s response Delay further reopenings that had been scheduled for Thursday. That’s a no-brainer, but it’s not nearly enough. After all, the surge in cases has occurred under the current rules.

Curbing the spread of COVID-19 requires clear, responsible messages and transparency from our leaders. We’re not getting that from Washington or Sacramento.

The reason the US is experiencing significant increases in COVID-19 cases is not just because of testing more people. It’s also because a greater portion of people being tested have the virus