Monday, June 15, 2020

Trump Rally Is the ‘Perfect Storm Setup,’ for Viral Spread, Disease Expert Says

From The Nrw York Times.com:

Campaign rallies like those planned by Trump and other social gatherings could spread infections this summer. People should adhere to wearing masks and continue social distancing, public health researchers say.


Credit...Karsten Moran for The New York Times

The coronavirus won’t be loosening its grip on the United States any time soon, leading infectious disease experts said on Sunday. They are also uncertain how the viral spread will be affected by the patchwork of states reopening businesses and by large events like protests and President Trump’s upcoming campaign rallies.
“This virus is not going to rest” until it infects about 60 percent to 70 percent of the population, Dr. Michael T. Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Experts have estimated that without a vaccine, about 70 percent of the population will need to be infected and develop immunity in order to stop the virus’s spread, a concept called herd immunity. The number of confirmed American cases now exceeds 2 million, less than 1 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Johns Hopkins Covid-19 Dashboard and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Joseph Fair, a virologist and epidemiologist who recently recovered from a serious bout of Covid-19, echoed that view on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

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