The country is pulling together, states are cooperating in the dispensing of equipment.
The president began by stating his love and respect for the people of New York and New Jersey. He said they will beat this virus with the grit and the heart for which they are known.
President Trump said prayers are being offered on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s behalf, that “He is going through a lot.“ He continued, “We thank the American people for continuing to follow the guidelines to slow the spread. We are seeing glimmers of strong hope despite this being a painful week. Every American has a role to play to win this war“ against the virus.
Project Airbridge has 27 more flights scheduled in the near future. The Army Corps of Engineers is constructing more facilities, and right now working on ones that will house 15,000 beds. They can build room for 2,000 beds in 3 days.
Real-time data is being shared with states, hospitals, and others. Hospital occupancy is beginning to go down, and “we like seeing that happen.” Their equipment needs are being met as rapidly as federal assets are able to be deployed. Ventilators are being returned, from places like California and Washington state, so they can be used in areas where they are needed. Coordination with the states has worked well over recent days.
“We are pressing forward on the scientific front,“ said the president. Major companies are working very hard on cures and vaccines, with “great potential and great early results.“ Ten drugs and two vaccines are in clinical trials right now. “We are wanting to bring these pharmaceuticals back to our shores. We are going to start bringing them back. Not only medical but many other things,“ he stated.
There are 8,675 ventilators in stock right now, ready to be moved by the military as they are needed. If New York, Michigan, Illinois, Louisiana, or anyone needs it, they all they need to do is say so and they will move the equipment out. “We have 2,200 arriving in a few days, and more are being built. A total of 110,0000 ventilators are in production. Hopefully, we won’t need all of them right now. We may be able to help other countries with their needs,“ the president said. The UK has requested 200 that are desperately needed right now.
Testing for the virus continues. 1.87 million tests have been done to date, federal reports show. These are being done at a level not seen before. The five-minute tests are giving people results right away. Data is showing that there is a tremendous challenge in the African-American community; they are going through a lot and it is disproportional. They are getting hit very hard.
Dr. Anthony Fauci addressed this issue. Diseases like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and obesity are prevalent in the African-American community, and these are the co-morbidities that make the coronavirus more prevalent. “We are working to give them the very best care,“ the doctor stated.
The president credited Abbott Industries with the production of the tests, with 50,000 test cartridges being produced every day. “We are also helping other nations with their testing. Our tests are very accurate unlike some that are out there,“ he said.
“We are also ensuring that we can meet the mental health needs of people in our country,“ President Trump said. There are a lot of people struggling. He will be speaking with mental health leaders on Thursday, developing resources and tools for them.
Right now, 182 countries are dealing with the coronavirus.
He has spoken with a number of bank leaders about the loans to small businesses in order that they can remain open and pay their employees. The bankers are doing a tremendous job in getting the funds out. The named the bankers and other lenders that were on the call with him. They are way ahead of schedule, the president said, on the Paycheck Protection Program.
“We are looking into the World Health Organization. They missed the call on this one. They could have called it months earlier. Did they know? They should have. We are putting a hold on our funding for WHO until we resolve these questions,“ said the president.
Everybody is rising to the occasion. He thanked banks once again. I’m asking Americans to use the hashtag #AmericansWorkTogether. Closing things down was a good and necessary move, as was cutting off travel. We are looking at far fewer deaths because of the directions we have taken.
Asked if additional funding for the Payroll Protection Program will be enough, the president said “we will see.” Small business is the backbone of the American economy. Many banks are working processing these loans.
Asked about a possible economic task force, the president said that many in America are thinking the top of the curve is near, and while this is dealt with, the nation must wait to see what happens with the economy. “With the stimulus, we can perhaps do infrastructure also, and we’re paying zero interest or close to it, we are getting reinvestment in our country. Our currency is very good right now, and foreign investment is likely,“ he said. He also floated the concept of a bond issue to do infrastructure.
He discussed the memoranda written by Peter Navarro warning about the pandemic. The president said his memos were coming out about the same time he closed down the country to China and then from Europe and then ultimately from the UK. All this was about the same time. “I’m a cheerleader for this country and that was the public posture. But while I’m doing that, I’m also closing the country down on international travel,“ he reminded. The president said he still has not seen the memo; but ultimately, he did pretty much what Navarro was saying. At the time he was called xenophobic for closing it down. It was a right decision. “If I hadn’t done that, we would have had hundreds of thousands more people dying,“ he said. The WHO was against this at that time, too.
The president also said he was right to close the border, and this has turned out to be a right decision. “The WHO condemned that, too,“ the president said, stating the WHO seems to be consistently China-centric. “We are looking at ending funding for them; they’ve called it wrong and have not acted right toward the United States,“ he stated.
Seema Verma, head of the Medicare and Medicaid Services, said they are beginning to stratify underlying health issues, race, and other factors in who has contracted the virus.
President Trump said they want to find therapeutics and vaccines and for everybody. They expect statistics in less than a week.
President Trump stood by his early comparison of the coronavirus to the “flu.” He reminded reporters that the worst pandemic the modern world has seen was the 1917-1918 Spanish Influenza.
The president also gave anecdotal story about the efficacy of the antimalarial drug. A woman, who had been on death’s door for 12 days, took it after her husband got the medication at the drug store. Four hours later, she awoke and felt better. The president says “try it.” He said 29 million doses of that drug are available.
There could be more side effects from the Zithromax than from the antimalarial drug. “We have people dying right now. We don’t have time for tests that take a couple of years. I think it is great thing to try. I’m not a doctor. Get a physician’s approval,“ he recommended. Some hospital workers are also taking it as a precaution. A 1,500 case study is underway in New York.
He thanked doctors, nurses, first responders and other working heroes. This is all new territory, and these people are “marching into the unknown like warriors.“
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For wisdom for the president as he seeks the best information and treatment options for those who’ve tested positive for the virus.
- For protection for all the medical personnel who are battling the disease on the frontlines.
Sources: Fox News, C-SPAN
