Twitter raps Trump COVID-19 adviser as U.S. cases rise

[webfact 78,476]

Twitter raps Trump COVID-19 adviser as U.S. cases rise

By Doina Chiacu

 

FILE PHOTO: Personnel administer coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tests in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., as cases spread in the Midwest, October 2, 2020. REUTERS/Alex Wroblewski/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Twitter on Sunday removed a "misleading" tweet downplaying the efficacy of masks posted by a top coronavirus adviser to President Donald Trump, while U.S. cases surged before the Nov. 3 election.

 

As the Trump administration fends off accusations that its mixed messaging on wearing masks hampered the fight against the coronavirus, Dr. Scott Atlas continued to minimize the importance of masks with a Twitter post on Saturday, saying, "Masks work? NO."

 

Twitter Inc removed the tweet on Sunday, saying it violated its misleading information policy on COVID-19, which targets statements that have been confirmed to be false or misleading by subject-matter experts.

 

The White House had no immediate comment on the decision.

 

Atlas has downplayed the wearing of masks, a coronavirus containment measure that has been widely endorsed by health experts but not enthusiastically promoted by the president.

 

Twitter took down a post by a top coronavirus task force adviser who questioned whether masks worked to cut down on transmission of the respiratory illness. This report produced by Zachary Goelman.

 

Trump, a Republican, is seeking re-election on Nov. 3 against Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in the midst of a pandemic that has weakened the economy and killed more than 217,000 Americans.

 

For an interactive graphic https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps tracking the global spread of coronavirus, open (https://tmsnrt.rs/2FThSv7) in an external browser.

 

New infections have been rising fast in the United States, according to a Reuters analysis, with more than 69,400 reported on Friday, up from 46,000 a month ago. Total U.S. cases have surpassed 8 million.

 

Trump, who was hospitalized with the disease for three nights in early October, has been criss-crossing the country in a surge of 11th-hour campaigning as he lags in many public opinion polls. His rallies draw thousands of supporters in close quarters, with many not wearing masks despite federal coronavirus guidelines.

 

Despite data showing otherwise, Trump has said repeatedly in recent weeks that the country is "rounding the turn" on coronavirus.

 

On Sunday, Trump again attributed the latest surge in coronavirus cases to more testing, but health experts cite increases in hospitalizations and the rates at which people are testing positive for the virus to show cases are indeed rising.

 

"The United States shows more CASES than other countries, which the Lamestream Fake News Media pounces on daily, because it TESTS at such a high (and costly) level," he wrote on Twitter.

 

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said the United States is probably entering the worst phase of the pandemic without a national strategy.

 

"I think the next three months are going to be very challenging. There's really no backstop against the spread that we're seeing," Gottlieb told CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

 

Hospitalizations were rising in 42 states and there is no intervention short of a vaccine that can thwart the spread, he said. The White House has come out against universal masking, against testing asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic people and wants businesses and schools reopened, he said.

 

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar urged Americans to continue social distancing, wearing masks and washing hands. "Hang in there with us," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press," adding, "We are so close."

 

However, Gottlieb, who sits on the board of vaccine maker Pfizer Inc, said it may not be until February or March until the first tranche of people who are vaccinated are really protected against the virus.

 

"So it begs the question, 'what is the strategy?'" he said. "And I think the strategy is just to endure the spread until we get to that vaccine."

 

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Chris Sanders in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-19

 

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[Mama Noodle 6,228]

44 minutes ago, webfact said:

Twitter on Sunday removed a "misleading" tweet downplaying the efficacy of masks posted by a top coronavirus adviser to President Donald Trump, while U.S. cases surged before the Nov. 3 election.

 

Its so patently obvious that twitter is all of a sudden starting to overtly censor, and the motivations are political. The left will cheer, obviously, but all it does is create the Streisand effect. 

 

Big tech needs to either be broken up, or forced to quit picking sides and being blatantly political. 

 

Its a monopoly over the internet and social media, and everyone on the internet should be allowed to be in the "public conversation" regardless of wether you agree or not. 

 

50 minutes ago, webfact said:

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said the United States is probably entering the worst phase of the pandemic without a national strategy.

 

The national strategy is to manage the virus while staying open and not ruining the country

[stevenl 29,297]

7 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

Its so patently obvious that twitter is all of a sudden starting to overtly censor, and the motivations are political. The left will cheer, obviously, but all it does is create the Streisand effect. 

 

Big tech needs to either be broken up, or forced to quit picking sides and being blatantly political. 

 

Its a monopoly over the internet and social media, and everyone on the internet should be allowed to be in the "public conversation" regardless of wether you agree or not. 

 

 

The national strategy is to manage the virus while staying open and not ruining the country

Nothing to do with 'whether you agree', but with 'you're spreading lies threatening our health'.

[Mama Noodle 6,228]

Just now, stevenl said:

Nothing to do with 'whether you agree', but with 'you're spreading lies threatening our health'.

 

If huge social media monopolies feel that they should be the arbiters of the truth or what people should and should not see, then that makes them a publisher, not a platform, and they should be regulated accordingly. 

 

And the issue is and has always been the blatantly biased and politically motivated way the rules are applied. 

 

Personally, I was to see what everyone is saying and dont want any overlords in the way of that. 

 

THAT is what's called a "public conversation" - the phrase twitter vomits up every time they do this. 

[Mama Noodle 6,228]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

His rallies draw thousands of supporters in close quarters, with many not wearing masks despite federal coronavirus guidelines.

 

Where was this concern when people were gathering in massive hordes during the protests and riots for months on end. 

[Paul Henry 1,602]

Trump should be selling his bottled bullsh!! as a miracle cure for the virus. There is an ample supply and they will never run out of stock. Everything else he does in the WH is to make him money this may be his best ripoff yet.

[animalmagic 2,796]

1 hour ago, Mama Noodle said:

Big tech needs to either be broken up, or forced to quit picking sides and being blatantly political. 

Whereas big pharma, defence industries, oil and other 'big' groups are ok because they picked your side?

 

"The national strategy is to manage the virus while staying open and not ruining the country"

45's sorry excuse for a strategy doesn't appear to be very effective in not ruining the country.

Please tell me why people shouldn't wear masks.  They wear seatbelts and condoms!

[Tug 21,255]

Imo failing to practice safe protocols in the face of the pandemic is heinous I wish laws existed to force compliance for the good of the majority scoffing at safe protocols from leadership imo is inexcusable I’m delighted that social media is finally taking steps to quash disinformation 

[nobodysfriend 4,229]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

On Sunday, Trump again attributed the latest surge in coronavirus cases to more testing, but health experts cite increases in hospitalizations and the rates at which people are testing positive for the virus to show cases are indeed rising.

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

with more than 69,400 reported on Friday, up from 46,000 a month ago. Total U.S. cases have surpassed 8 million.

Test or not , the virus is free-spreading anyway ... if there is an effective political strategy to prevent this , it does not seem to work ...

Many still believe that it is all a hoax only , but people believe what they want to believe ... you can feed them facts , does not change anything ...

[Tug 21,255]

1 minute ago, nobodysfriend said:

 

Test or not , the virus is free-spreading anyway ... if there is an effective political strategy to prevent this , it does not seem to work ...

Many still believe that it is all a hoax only , but people believe what they want to believe ... you can feed them facts , does not change anything ...

Sad but true .........

[JusticeGB 3,404]

Big tech companies have over reaching power and are censoring news. This is a disgrace. Wearing of masks is known to reduce the risk of the spread of covid19 however many people are not wearing masks correctly and fully covering both their noses and mouths. An incorrectly worn mask is ineffective. 

[stevenl 29,297]

12 minutes ago, JusticeGB said:

Big tech companies have over reaching power and are censoring news. This is a disgrace. Wearing of masks is known to reduce the risk of the spread of covid19 however many people are not wearing masks correctly and fully covering both their noses and mouths. An incorrectly worn mask is ineffective. 

I don't think ineffective is correct, less effective would be better.

 

But thanks for admitting his claim that masks don't work was incorrect. IMO that justifies twitter deciding to remove that tweet.

[Eric Loh 19,974]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Atlas has downplayed the wearing of masks, a coronavirus containment measure that has been widely endorsed by health experts but not enthusiastically promoted by the president.

An own goal by Trump's team so close to the election. Majority of Americans are very concern about the infection that has been rising steadily since March and disapproved of Trump's response. This ill-timed and reckless comment will just reinforced that the virus is being mishandled by an unqualified WH team who hold the attention of a clueless President. 

[Ketyo 857]

The more Trump comes under pressure, the more bat<deleted> crazy he gets. The most fun will come if it becomes clear he's going to lose. He might even self implode.

[TallGuyJohninBKK 25,602]

Let's see:

 

Trump and his private coronavirus advisor who's no expert in the field - don't need to wear a mask

 

Trump's CDC, HHS and NIH - need to wear a mask.

 

No wonder the U.S. CV response is in shambles, and 217,000+ Americans are dead from CV under Trump's failed watch.
 

Quote

 

The United States surpassed eight million known cases this past week, and reported more than 70,000 new infections on Friday, the most in a single day since July. Eighteen states added more new coronavirus infections during the seven-day stretch ending on Friday than in any other week of the pandemic.

...

Hot spots are emerging in the South and the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, and expanding rapidly in the Midwest and the Mountain West. Illinois this past week recorded its highest daily number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began, and the most deaths in a single day since June.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/17/us/coronavirus-pandemic-fatigue.html

 

U.S. CV death toll still running about more people each and every day.

 

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK