U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Urges "Wear Masks, Wash Hands, Maintain Social Distancing"
Daily COVID-19 Cases in the U.S. Surge Back to 70,000s, Approaching July Peak
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Twitter has sparked controversy by deleting a tweet from President Donald Trump's medical advisor claiming that masks are not very effective in preventing COVID-19. The content contradicts the guidelines of U.S. health authorities, and concerns are growing that policy confusion is increasing as President Trump is known to place great trust in the advisor's statements.
While the Trump administration's COVID-19 prevention measures remain unsettled, the daily new cases in the U.S. surged back to the 70,000 range over the past weekend, nearing the record high set in July. According to CNN and other foreign media on the 18th (local time), Dr. Scott Atlas, President Trump's medical advisor and a member of the White House COVID-19 Task Force, posted a tweet the previous day titled "Are masks effective? No." In the tweet, he claimed there is no scientific evidence that masks prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Twitter stated that the tweet was deleted for violating its COVID-19 misinformation policy. Twitter explained the deletion by saying, "Dr. Atlas's tweet violated the policy against sharing fake news or misleading content that could cause social harm related to COVID-19."
The New York Times (NYT) pointed out that Dr. Atlas's tweet "contradicts the guidelines of health authorities such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)." On the same day, Alex Azar, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, said in an interview with NBC, "People must continue to wear masks, wash hands, and practice social distancing," adding, "The social distance among Americans is still too close."
Since joining as the White House presidential medical advisor in August, Dr. Atlas has persistently advocated for herd immunity, becoming a subject of controversy. In an interview with Fox News at the time, he said, "Young and healthy people who are not seriously affected by COVID-19 should get infected quickly to develop antibodies, which will create a herd immunity system where the majority of the population has antibodies." He added, "Isolating healthy people only hinders immunity formation and prolongs the situation." President Trump is known to strongly believe in his herd immunity theory.
However, other health officials doubt the credibility of these claims. According to AP News and others, senior CDC officials expressed concern that CDC Director Robert Redfield said, "Dr. Atlas continues to provide misinformation to President Trump." The herd immunity theory was a policy adopted by Sweden in the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis in April. This policy led to thousands of deaths in Sweden, drawing domestic and international criticism due to the significantly higher numbers compared to neighboring countries. According to the global statistics site Worldometer, as of this day, Sweden's cumulative death toll is 5,918, far exceeding that of neighboring Norway (278) and Denmark (680).
While the U.S. COVID-19 prevention measures cause confusion between the White House and health authorities, the spread of COVID-19 continues to rage. According to Worldometer's tally, the daily new cases in the U.S. reached 44,940 on this day. On the 16th, the daily new cases in the U.S. surged to 71,689, approaching the record high of 78,945 set on July 24.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
