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Outrage over alarming Covid detail in Trump White House memo

A press release listing the accomplishments of the Trump administration’s first term claims it has ended the Covid-19 pandemic despite cases continuing to surge.

WEST SALEM, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 27: President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway on October 27, 2020 in West Salem, Wisconsin. A recent polling average has Trump trailing former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden by about 7 points in the state. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The release sent by the White House Office of Science and Technology on Tuesday (local time) claimed to highlight a selection of significant investments, accomplishments, policies and other actions undertaken by US President Donald Trump to advance science and technology.

At the top of the list of highlights was “ending the Covid-19 pandemic”.

“From the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Administration has taken decisive actions to engage scientists and health professionals in academia, industry, and government to understand, treat, and defeat the disease,” the press release said.

The US alone has recorded more than 8.7 million coronavirus cases and more than 226,000 deaths, with the virus still wreaking havoc in North America.

Covid cases continue to surge in the US

The bold claim the Trump Administration had defeated the virus came as nearly half a million people in the US contracted coronavirus in the past seven days alone, with new cases and hospitalisations setting fresh records.

According to a Reuters analysis, more than 5600 people died nationwide in the past week alone, while hospitalisations grew 13 per cent.

White House
White House

In the hotspot of Illinois, more than 31,000 new cases were reported – more than any state except Texas.

Outbreaks are worsening in hotly contested battleground states in next week's presidential election like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Pennsylvania's Department of Health on Tuesday reported a fresh record in daily cases, while Wisconsin broke one-day state records in both cases and deaths as officials told residents to stay home, wear a mask and cancel travel and social gatherings.

"We must take significant and collective actions," Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm said.

Contact tracers were overwhelmed and hospitals may soon face staffing shortages, she added.

"This is going to get worse before it gets better."

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 25: A traffic sign reads, "COVID is still a risk" above a road in Brooklyn on October 25, 2020 in New York City. The pandemic has caused long-term repercussions throughout the tourism and entertainment industries, including short-term and permanent closures of historic and iconic venues, and costing the city and businesses billions in revenue.  (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Outrage over bold claim

With the press release being shared on Twitter, many expressed outrage over the Trump Administration’s bold coronavirus claim.

One said “they did nothing but spread the virus” and the US hadn’t turned a corner when it came to defeating it.

“The [Trump] family caught the virus and got over it. From their standpoint the pandemic is over. Anyone else who gets it, especially if they die from it, is a virtual nobody who doesn’t count,” another claimed.

“Tell that to the nearly nine million infected and the 230,000 dead,” a third added.

One commented the claim was “pure stupidity” and “ignorant”.

President Trump, facing a tough re-election battle on November 3, lashed out again on Tuesday at reports coronavirus is surging and reiterated his claim the country is "rounding the turn" in its battle with the pandemic that has killed more than 226,000 people.

"We did the ventilators and now we're doing all of the equipment and now we're doing vaccines, we're doing therapeutics. We've done a great job, and people are starting to see," he told reporters at the White House.

with AAP