Despite record level case spike, White House lists ending Covid-19 as accomplishment
World+Biz
Despite nearly half a million Americans testing positive for Covid-19 within last week in the US, the White House has included ending the coronavirus pandemic on a list of science and technology accomplishments under the Trump administration
A White House Office of Science and Technology Policy news release made the claim in announcing a document highlighting the administration's science and technology achievements over the past four years, reports the CNN.
The news release came at a time when the country has reported the highest number of daily cases seen to date.
Seven-day average of daily new cases in the US reached an all-time high of 68,767 on Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The previous record of 67,293 was set 22 July.
The week was also marked by the two worst days of daily new cases reported since the pandemic began.
More than 83,000 new cases were reported both Friday and Saturday. The seven-day average of new tests performed, meanwhile, has risen only 2.87% over the past week, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
President Trump has repeatedly has blamed the increase in cases on an increase in testing.
New cases are also being seen within the administration itself. At least five aides to US Vice President Mike Pence, including his bodyman and his chief of staff, Marc Short, tested positive for coronavirus in recent days, according to sources.
When asked for comment on including ending the pandemic among the administration's first term accomplishments, office spokeswoman Kristina Baum pointed to the full report.
"The great work the Trump administration is doing to end the pandemic is a top priority and worthy of highlighting," she said in an email.
The internal report that the news release was describing did not say that the Covid-19 pandemic is over.
"Since the start of the pandemic, the Administration has taken several actions to engage scientists in academia, industry, and government to understand and defeat this disease," the report says.
It later states that the administration's vaccine initiative "Operation Warp Speed, public-private partnerships, and other decisive actions taken by the Trump Administration have provided American scientists, engineers, and healthcare professionals with the knowledge, tools, and technologies needed to understand and defeat this 'invisible enemy.'"
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