A Harvard epidemiologist is blasting the Trump administration after the White House listed “ending the COVID-19 pandemic” as one of President Donald Trump’s first-term accomplishments.
The list of “wins” being claimed by the administration was sent out in a Tuesday press release by the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Michael Mina, a physician and assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard University, reacted to the administration’s claim on Twitter.
“This is complete fabrication,” he wrote. “ ‘ENDING THE #COVID19 PANDEMIC’ canNOT go on @POTUS list of accomplishments – at SAME time as US hits all time high cases!”
Tagging the Twitter handle for the president, Mina wrote that a “pandemic that is killing 100,000s does not go away just [because] you choose to stop trying.”
I’m sorry. This is complete fabrication.
“ENDING THE #COVID19 PANDEMIC” canNOT go on @POTUS list of accomplishments – at SAME time as US hits all time high cases!@POTUS A pandemic that is killing 100,000s does not go away just bc you choose to stop trying. pic.twitter.com/MC7MnLf9o8
— Michael Mina (@michaelmina_lab) October 28, 2020
Hogan Gidley, the National Press Secretary for the Trump campaign, was asked about the language used in the administration’s press release and whether the pandemic is “ended” during an appearance Wednesday on CNN.
“I’m not going to quibble over semantics,” Gidley said when pressed by host Alisyn Camerota. “The fact is we’re moving in the right direction.”
White House lists ending Covid-19 pandemic as an accomplishment despite cases spiking to record levels.@AlisynCamerota: “Do you think it has ended?”@JHoganGidley: “I don’t know who said that… I have not seen the document… We’re moving in the right direction” pic.twitter.com/5MTSv8QQRU
— New Day (@NewDay) October 28, 2020
The United States is reporting an average of 70,000 new coronavirus cases a day, with the average daily case count climbing up 41% percent over the last two weeks, according to NPR.
The daily case counts have surpassed the averages seen over the summer, and on Friday, the U.S. recorded the most new cases in a single day — more than 85,000. Nationally, more than 220,000 people have died from COVID-19.
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