President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic in the United States is likely to “get worse before it gets better.”
“That’s something I don’t like to say about things, but that’s the way it is, it’s what we have,” he said during a White House briefing on the pandemic. “You look at the world, it’s all over the world.”
Trump’s comments come as the coronavirus continues to spread rapidly across the country. The virus has infected more than 3.8 million Americans and has killed at least 141,118 as of Tuesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Texas and Florida hit a bleak record Monday of daily coronavirus deaths based on a seven-day moving average, as hospitalizations continue to rise in 34 states across the United States.
Trump’s response to the pandemic has also come under increasing scrutiny. In recent weeks, Trump has downplayed the threat from the virus, linking the increase in new cases to an increase in evidence. However, public health officials and infectious disease experts dispute those claims, saying that the rate of positive cases in the United States, hospitalizations, and deaths remain high in some states.
Trump said Tuesday that state leaders across the United States are working “very, very hard,” adding that the state of Florida “is in a difficult position.” He said the federal government is helping by providing its “tremendous” supplies of ventilators, gowns, and other medical equipment needed by hospitals.
“At first, people never had an experience like this, where we needed so many fans so fast,” he said. “Doctors, nurses, and aides have gotten incredibly good at using ventilators. It’s actually a really complicated procedure.”
This is a developing story. Please check for updates.
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