Donald Trump Jr: "COVID-19" Deaths Are Almost Zero" and That the Death rate Has Been Steadily Falling In the Past Two Weeks.

 

The United States reported a record high of more than 90,000 new coronavirus infections on Friday, and today's count is on pace to go even higher. The country has now exceeded 9 million cases since the outbreak began, with the last 1 million added in just the last two weeks. More than 1,000 coronavirus deaths were also reported Thursday, a sadly frequent milestone, which the president's son Donald Trump Jr. effectively dismissed Thursday night when he claimed in a Fox News interview that the death rate had dropped to “almost nothing.” As evidence, Trump Jr. cited a misleading graph on his Instagram page – apparently compiled from incomplete and already outdated federal data – which was used as evidence to suggest that the “death rate” has been falling dramatically in the last two weeks. In fact, daily deaths are slightly rising after a long plateau, and the situation is expected to worsen in November as the virus takes its toll on the newly infected. “I realize I am naive,” Ashish K. Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, tweeted in response to the interview. “But I’m still shocked by the casualness by which our political and media leaders and their families dismiss the daily deaths of nearly a thousand Americans.” A federal program to inspect nursing homes in the early days of the U.S. outbreak cleared nearly 80 percent of them of any infection-control violations, including some facilities that were experiencing covid-19 outbreaks during the inspections. “All told, homes that received a clean bill of health earlier this year had about 290,000 coronavirus cases and 43,000 deaths among residents and staff, state and federal data shows,” our Business desk reported. Hundreds of thousands of Americans will have coronavirus infections on Election Day, and options are dwindling for those who intend to vote. “Some will be required to get doctor’s notes or enlist family members to help,” our Investigations desk reported. “Others, in isolation, will need to have a witness present while they vote. Planned accommodations — such as officials hand-delivering ballots — may prove inadequate or could be strained beyond limits.” Two months ago, thousands of people attended a simulated concert in Berlin so researchers could study how the virus spreads during indoor events. The volunteers had all tested negative for the virus and wore masks, but their behavior at the event allowed researchers to create a detailed computer simulation of how the virus might spread during a real concert. What they learned offers a “glimmer of hope” for the future of large public gatherings. Other important news A county judge on Thursday ordered a two-week shutdown of nonessential businesses in El Paso, Tex., where hospitalizations have more than tripled in a month. The Republican mayor and state attorney general objected within hours of the ruling. Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R) appeared in an ad for a libertarian group that claimed the pandemic “may or may not be occurring.” Following New York's example, Los Angeles is considering allowing restaurants to charge diners a “covid-19 recovery charge.”

Live updates and more Track deaths and confirmed cases in the U.S. and across the world.  Vaccine tracker: We're monitoring more than 200, and these are the top ones to watch. Post reporters are publishing live dispatches nearly 24 hours a day. Read the latest about what's happening in the D.C. area.  Submit a question and we may answer it in a future story or newsletter.