'Trump's diagnosis cruel reminder of pervasive spread of COVID in US'

Opponents say tougher social restrictions are needed to suppress a second wave of COVID-19 that is already sweeping the country. But many in Johnsons right-of-center party argue that restrictions must be eased to save the battered economy

President Donald Trump's startling diagnosis serves as a cruel reminder of the pervasive spread of the coronavirus and shows how tenuous of a grip the nation has on the crisis, health experts said.

With US infections rising for several weeks, Trump became one of the tens of thousands of Americans who test positive each day. He went through a "very concerning" period on Friday and the next 48 hours "will be critical" in his care, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said on Saturday.

That differed dramatically from the rosy assessment by Trump's staff and doctors, who took pains not to reveal the president had received supplemental oxygen at the White House before he went to a military hospital.

'No one's safe'

Some of Trump's top advisers and allies also have tested positive recently. "No one is entirely out of the virus's reach, even those supposedly inside a protective bubble," said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington. Eight months after the virus reached the United States, worrying signals mounted of what's ahead this fall. The NFL has postponed two games after players on three teams tested positive.

Surge in winter

Some hospitals in Wisconsin have run low on space, and experts warned of a likely surge in infections during the colder months ahead. Some economists say it could take as long as late 2023 for the job market to fully recover. The US leads the world in numbers of confirmed infections, with more than 7 million, and deaths, with more than 2,08,000. Only a handful of countries rank higher in COVID-19 deaths per capita.

"The statistics are so mindboggling, they make us numb to the reality of just how painful, unacceptable and absurd this is," said Dr. Reed Tuckson, board chairman of the nonpartisan Health Policy Alliance in Washington.

Everyone must be alert

"Every single American must double down on their vigilance. If we don't, then we are being foolhardy and irresponsible." Wallace Clark, 50, of Springfield, Illinois, said he was flummoxed by the president's diagnosis but hopes it makes people realize they need to take the pandemic seriously.

"Some people probably think they're immune or can't get it, but it is possible. It does send a message," Clark said Saturday. The president's infection occurred as the nation has reached a crossroads in its response to the virus. The US is averaging 40,000 cases a day. The situation is improving in Sun Belt states that were hot spots in the summer, and many loosened restrictions this week.

UK PM warns country faces a 'bumpy' Coronavirus ride till Christmas

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday despite weeks of rising infections, but warned that the country faced a "bumpy" winter ahead. Britain has Europe's highest coronavirus death toll, at more than 42,400, and Johnson's Conservative government is facing criticism from all sides. Opponents say tougher social restrictions are needed to suppress a second wave of COVID-19 that is already sweeping the country. But many in Johnson's right-of-center party argue that restrictions must be eased to save the battered economy.

Johnson told the BBC the government had to strike a difficult balance and he couldn't "take a course that could expose us to tens of thousands more deaths in very short order." "It is a moral imperative to save lives ... but on the other hand, we have to keep our economy moving. That is the balance that we are trying to strike," he said.

40k
Average novel Coronavirus cases US is recording per day

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