Trump considers dissolving coronavirus task force despite growing COVID-19 cases [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• President Donald Trump was weighing on putting down the White House coronavirus task force in the weeks to come amid the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the US, based on a report by The New York Times. This was confirmed by Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday.
• Ever since the much-criticized task force briefing about using disinfectants as a treatment, Trump has withdrawn from the daily meetings with media and instead, focused his efforts on reopening the economy.
• According to CDC, there’s a projected increase in COVID-19 daily deaths to about 3,000 by end of the month, and around 134,000 fatalities beginning August.

According to a report by The New York Times, President Donald Trump is considering to relax the White House coronavirus task force in the coming weeks despite the continuous increase of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Vice President Mike Pence, the leader of the task force, told reporters on Tuesday that such proposition is being planned. “I think we’re having conversations about that and about what the proper time is for the task force to complete its work and for the ongoing efforts to take place on an agency-by-agency level. And we’ve already begun to talk about a transition plan with FEMA.”

Trump has withdrawn from the daily meetings with reporters since the much-criticized task force briefing last April 24, where he proposed disinfectants as a COVID-19 treatment.

Since then, he concentrated on reopening the country’s struggling economy, urging states to untighten the restrictive measures. On April 15, Trump used the task force briefing to announce the formation of the “Opening Our Country Task Force” which was composed of more than 200 CEOs to serve as advisors for reopening the economy.

Though the figures of new cases in New York and a few other big cities continue to decline, other areas have witnessed an increase. A gradual lifting of restrictions set by the coronavirus task force was also disregarded in many states pushing to restart the economy.

Trump’s comments during task force briefings were often not aligned with the thoughts of his medical team, particularly on the hydroxychloroquine drug, which the president promoted despite warnings from task force’s lead expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

After the White House blocked Fauci and other task force members from testifying before Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wavered the issue at the briefings, suggesting they should focus more on the pandemic instead of “Trump’s daily shows.”

The president said on Tuesday that “the House is a bunch of Trump haters” as he justified the decision to bar the testimony from Congress.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Monday that it has projected an increase in COVID-19 daily deaths to about 3,000 by end of May, and nearly double of total fatalities to 134,000 beginning August.

More than 1,194,000 COVID-19 cases have been recorded in the US, with more than 70,000 deaths as of Tuesday.

Source: AOL.com