E-Paper
Study says 18 Donald Trump rallies led to 30,000 Covid-19 infections
A study has found that 18 campaign rallies by US President Donald Trump likely led to more than 30,000 Covid-19 infections and may have caused 700 deaths.
A study has found that 18 campaign rallies by US President Donald Trump likely led to more than 30,000 Covid-19 infections and may have caused 700 deaths.
The Stanford University study titled The Effects of Large Group Meetings on the Spread of Covid-19: The Case of Trump Rallies, said the events held between June 20 and September 22 “ultimately resulted in more than 30,000 incremental confirmed cases of Covid-19” and “likely led to more than 700 deaths”, which may not necessarily have been among attendees.
“Our analysis strongly supports the warnings and recommendations of public health officials concerning the risk of Covid-19 transmission at large group gatherings, particularly when the degree of compliance with guidelines concerning the use of masks and social distancing is low,” the researchers said.
Democratic candidate Joe Biden tweeted Trump “doesn’t even care about his own supporters”. Top US infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci said the US “could not possibly be positioned more poorly” to stem rising cases. He told the Washington Post he believed Biden “is taking it seriously from a public health perspective,” while Trump is “looking at it from a different perspective.”
As England goes into coronavirus Lockdown 2 from Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson called in the army to help with a massive testing drive. AstraZeneca said on Sunday UK’s health regulator had started an accelerated review of its potential vaccine. The lockdown may be extended if cases are not down, senior minister Michael Gove said on Sunday.
