Coronavirus: Trump predicts ‘a lot of death’ as cases pass 300,000
US President Donald Trump has warned Americans to prepare for the “toughest week” of the coronavirus pandemic yet, predicting a surge in deaths.
At his daily briefing, Mr Trump said “there will be death” in a grim assessment of the days ahead.
He sought to reassure the worst-hit states, promising medical supplies and military personnel to combat the virus.
But in contrast to his warning, Mr Trump suggested easing social-distancing guidelines for Easter.
“We have to open our country again,” Mr Trump told a news conference at the White House on Saturday. “We don’t want to be doing this for months and months and months.”
Mr Trump’s calls to relax restrictions on life came on the day confirmed coronavirus infections in the US surpassed 300,000, the highest number in the world.
As of Saturday, there were almost 8,500 deaths from Covid-19 in the US, with most in New York state – the epicentre of the outbreak.
On Saturday, New York state recorded 630 more coronavirus deaths, another daily record that takes its toll to 3,565. The state now has almost as many cases – over 113,000 – as the whole of Italy.
Elsewhere in the world, there has been cause for optimism as the number of new infections and deaths from coronavirus has started to gradually diminish.
In Italy, the number of coronavirus patients in intensive care units dropped for the first time since the outbreak began on Saturday.
Meanwhile in Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the country was “close to passing the peak of infections” as the number of coronavirus deaths fell for the second day in a row.
Globally, more than 60,000 people have died and more than 1.1 million have been infected, Johns Hopkins University in the US says.
What did President Trump say in his briefing?
President Trump gave a candid assessment of what lies ahead for the US in the coming weeks.
“This will be probably the toughest week between this week and next week, and there will be a lot of death, unfortunately, but a lot less death than if this wasn’t done but there will be death,” Mr Trump said.
To support states in their fight against Covid-19, Mr Trump said his administration would be deploying a “tremendous amount of military, thousands of soldiers, medical workers, professionals”.
The military personnel will “soon” be advised of their assignments, he said, adding that “1,000 military personnel” were being deployed to New York City.
Mr Trump also addressed his use of the Defence Production Act, a Korean-War-era law which gives him powers to control the production and supply of US-made medical products.
He said he was “very disappointed” with 3M, a US company that makes masks, saying it “should be taking care of our country” instead of selling to others.
But he rejected accusations that the US had committed an act of “modern piracy” by redirecting 200,000 Germany-bound masks for its own use.
On the question of easing social-distancing restrictions, Mr Trump reiterated a familiar theme.
“The cure cannot be worse than the problem itself,” Mr Trump said, expressing hope rules could be relaxed for Easter services.
Trump’s lockdown frustration grows
Analysis by BBC North America correspondent, Peter Bowes
By returning to the theme that “the cure cannot be worse than the problem”, President Trump again revealed his frustration that America is still at a standstill.
Mr Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to get people out of their homes and back to work.
While opining that the virus had to be vanquished quickly, Mr Trump restated his view that more people could die because of measures being taken to mitigate the impact of Covid-19, than the disease itself.
He warned that some hard decisions had to be made. “We cannot let this continue,” he added, referring to nation’s stagnation. “We’re not going to destroy our country.”
What about the rest of the world?
- The UK saw a record number of deaths in a day on Saturday – 708 – but the number of confirmed new coronavirus cases fell. The total number of people who have died in hospitals is now 4,313.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s pregnant fiancée Carrie Symonds said she had spent several days in bed with symptoms of the virus. She said she was “on the mend” after seven days of rest. Mr Johnson tested positive for the virus last week and has been conducting cabinet meetings via video link.
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez extended lockdown measures in the country until 25 April, saying the restrictions were “saving lives”. The toll of 809 deaths in one day is the lowest in Spain for a week.
- Italy has seen its first drop in the number of patients in intensive care during the outbreak. The number of new deaths – 681 – has taken the country’s death toll to 15,362 but is smaller than in previous days.
- China observed a three-minute silence in remembrance of more than 3,000 people who died of coronavirus in the country. In Wuhan, where the virus was first detected, all traffic lights turned red temporarily.
- Mainland China reported 30 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, up from 19 a day earlier. Most of the cases involved people who had entered from abroad
- Kuwait has recorded its first death, and a 79-year-old woman has become the first person to die of coronavirus in Georgia.
What’s the latest in New York?
The state has counted 113,074 confirmed cases, 63,036 of them in New York City.
New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo said infections could peak in between four and 14 days.
Mr Cuomo said the number of cases and deaths were now rising at a slower rate in New York City, but there was a worrying increase in cases in nearby Long Island.
Meanwhile a new overflow hospital – the 2,500-bed Javits Center in Manhattan – would be staffed and equipped by the federal government, he said.
Some 85,000 people, about a quarter of them from other states, have signed up to help tackle the outbreak in New York, the worst in the US.
New York City’s mayor has sent messages to its eight million inhabitants urging qualified healthcare workers to volunteer.
“Anyone who’s not already in this fight, we need you,” said Bill de Blasio, appealing for help from “any health care professional: Doctor, nurse, respiratory therapist, you name it”.
What else is happening in the US?
- The US Navy says nearly half the crew of aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt – which has docked in Guam after virus cases were feared on board – have been tested and there have been 155 confirmed cases. No one has been transferred to hospital and 1,548 sailors have left the vessel and gone ashore. Earlier this week the ship’s commander was removed after he accused the navy of not doing enough to halt the outbreak.
- President Donald Trump has said he will not wear a face mask despite new medical guidance advising Americans to do so. He could not see himself greeting “presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens” in the Oval Office while wearing one, he said.
- Another virus hotspot, the southern state of Louisiana, said deaths had jumped by 20% to 370 on Friday, with 10,000 confirmed cases. Governor John Bel Edwards urged residents to respect his stay-at-home order, asking them to “do a better job”. The outbreak in New Orleans has a per capita death rate twice as high as New York’s. Doctors and public health officials have suggested that high rates of obesity and related conditions could be playing a role, Reuters reports.
- Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would not retaliate after President Trump blocked exports of personal protective equipment for medical staff. He had earlier said it would be a “mistake” for the US to block trade when the US receives the help of Canadian nurses.
