SANFORD, FLORIDA (Dagbladet): Donald Trump gathered what was possibly a five-digit number of people close to each other for a giant election campaign meeting outside Orlando, Florida.
What he describes as “a fantastic group of people” and an audience he himself was really impressed with, however, creates concern among health experts.
Florida is one of the states hardest hit by the corona pandemic with over 15,000 deaths. The infection is now increasing, and the fear is that the recent reopening of “ordinary life” will lead to a new wave of infection.
– Alarming
Donald Trump’s giant rally is unlikely to help the situation. Few of the participants wore face masks. Recommendations about distance seemed forgotten.
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During the election campaign event on Thursday night, Dagbladet sent a picture from the airport to the well-known American researcher Eric Feigl-Ding. He was worried about what he saw.
– I think the lack of distance and the use of face masks is alarming, he says to Dagbladet.
Feigl-Ding is a renowned epidemiologist in the United States after more than 16 years as a researcher and lecturer at the prestigious Harvard University. Now he is affiliated with the think tank Federation of American Scientists (FAS), and has been very critical of Donald Trump’s and the United States’ corona handling.
– Risky
The pictures from Florida do not please him.
– I look at this picture from two angles. For the audience here, it is definitely risky to stand so close together with little distance and very few bandages. Even outdoors, there is a risk when people are packed, says Feigl-Ding to Dagbladet.
– Asks for trouble
He was one of the first to really warn against the dangers of covid-19 in the American media. The country has really been spared the pandemic with over 215,000 deaths and soon.
The think tank he now works in, FAS, was founded in 1945 by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs. The goal was to hold government officials accountable via scientific facts to avoid catastrophic consequences. So far, researchers have found it very difficult to get through to Trump.
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Large eruption
He is accused of trivializing the virus. In addition to gathering large crowds, he has almost consistently chosen not to wear a face mask.
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It resulted in a corona diagnosis for him and his wife Melania a week and a half ago, which has almost turned down the American public. The outbreak associated with the White House has been major.
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At the same time, Trump has been treated with both Remdesivir and dexamethasone in addition to an antibody cocktail referred to as experimental. The president himself described the treatment as a cure during the public meeting on Tuesday night. Shortly before he took the stage, White House physician Sean Conley issued a recent update stating that Trump had tested negative for corona.
– Still contagious
Trump himself claims he is immune and no longer a risk of infection. That is wrong, says epidemiologist Feigl-Ding.
“Trump can still be contagious,” he said.
– Always in attack mode
Doctor Sean Conley stated on Saturday that Trump is no longer contagious to others. The doctor referred to a coronation test taken Saturday morning, nine days after Trump was confirmed infected.
– This morning’s test shows, by today’s recognized standards, that he is no longer contagious to others, Conley writes in the statement.
– Still positive
However, Feigl-Ding believes that the White House is hiding something.
– Conley’s letter refers to Binaxnow tests (a type of rapid test). Such tests should not be used to report anything fresh. Trump will probably still test positive in a PCR test, as I interpret the letter, Feigl-Ding tells Dagbladet.
– It looks very bad
PCR tests are very sensitive and can detect the genetic material of the virus. Trump’s doctor has received much criticism for not disclosing the president’s values in such a test.
“It has not carried out tests of the virus’ culture that can prove that he is not contagious,” says the epidemiologist.
In any case, Trump has plans to continue the election campaign. On Tuesday night, he will hold a voter rally in Pennsylvania. Iowa, North Carolina and Wisconsin are also on the calendar this week. It can mean many more thousands of spectators.
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