Twitter raps Trump COVID-19 adviser as U.S. cases rise
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[October 19, 2020]
By Doina Chiacu
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Twitter on Sunday
removed a "misleading" tweet downplaying the efficacy of masks posted by
a top coronavirus adviser to President Donald Trump, while U.S. cases
surged before the Nov. 3 election.
As the Trump administration fends off accusations that its mixed
messaging on wearing masks hampered the fight against the coronavirus,
Dr. Scott Atlas continued to minimize the importance of masks with a
Twitter post on Saturday, saying, "Masks work? NO."
Twitter Inc removed the tweet on Sunday, saying it violated its
misleading information policy on COVID-19, which targets statements that
have been confirmed to be false or misleading by subject-matter experts.
The White House had no immediate comment on the decision.
Atlas has downplayed the wearing of masks, a coronavirus containment
measure that has been widely endorsed by health experts but not
enthusiastically promoted by the president.
Trump, a Republican, is seeking re-election on Nov. 3 against Democratic
presidential candidate Joe Biden in the midst of a pandemic that has
weakened the economy and killed more than 217,000 Americans.
For an interactive graphic https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps
tracking the global spread of coronavirus, open (https://tmsnrt.rs/2FThSv7)
in an external browser.
New infections have been rising fast in the United States, according to
a Reuters analysis, with more than 69,400 reported on Friday, up from
46,000 a month ago. Total U.S. cases have surpassed 8 million.
Trump, who was hospitalized with the disease for three nights in early
October, has been criss-crossing the country in a surge of 11th-hour
campaigning as he lags in many public opinion polls. His rallies draw
thousands of supporters in close quarters, with many not wearing masks
despite federal coronavirus guidelines.
Despite data showing otherwise, Trump has said repeatedly in recent
weeks that the country is "rounding the turn" on coronavirus.
On Sunday, Trump again attributed the latest surge in coronavirus cases
to more testing, but health experts cite increases in hospitalizations
and the rates at which people are testing positive for the virus to show
cases are indeed rising.
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[NFA] Twitter took down a post by a top coronavirus task force
adviser who questioned whether masks worked to cut down on
transmission of the respiratory illness. This report produced by
Zachary Goelman.
"The United States shows more CASES than other countries, which the
Lamestream Fake News Media pounces on daily, because it TESTS at
such a high (and costly) level," he wrote on Twitter.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration
commissioner, said the United States is probably entering the worst
phase of the pandemic without a national strategy.
"I think the next three months are going to be very challenging.
There's really no backstop against the spread that we're seeing,"
Gottlieb told CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
Hospitalizations were rising in 42 states and there is no
intervention short of a vaccine that can thwart the spread, he said.
The White House has come out against universal masking, against
testing asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic people and wants
businesses and schools reopened, he said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar urged Americans to
continue social distancing, wearing masks and washing hands. "Hang
in there with us," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press," adding, "We
are so close."
However, Gottlieb, who sits on the board of vaccine maker Pfizer
Inc, said it may not be until February or March until the first
tranche of people who are vaccinated are really protected against
the virus.
"So it begs the question, 'what is the strategy?'" he said. "And I
think the strategy is just to endure the spread until we get to that
vaccine."
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Chris Sanders in Washington; Editing
by Matthew Lewis)
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