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TRUMP COVID-19 UPDATE, APRIL 8




Trump April 8

Trump April 8

This is a summary of President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 press conference on April 8.

Trump:

This is a holy week, a sacred unbroken tradition on Passover. On Sunday is our beautiful, wonderful Easter.

We are closer to getting our country back.

Two new countries, making 184 total, are being attacked by the virus.

Earlier today, I spoke to 10,000 faith leaders. I also spoke to local leaders about beating the virus.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson seems to be doing better today.

Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State:

When many nations’ transportation systems closed, Americans were stranded overseas.

We repatriated over 50,000 citizens back home from over 90 countries, which is unprecedented. In Peru, we worked with the government to arrange to send river boats up the Amazon River to retrieve Americans.

Questions:

Q: How do you know when you are done?

Pompeo: There are still several thousand people; they keep coming forward. We will be done when people can travel again.

Q: How many staffers have tested positive? How does the retrievals affect your work overseas?

Pompeo: All our embassies but for Wuhan are open. A few workers have tested positive.

Q: Did China withhold vital information and will there be retribution?

Pompeo: This is not a time for retribution but every country needs to be transparent about what’s going on to help scientists.

Q: The World Health Organization has a fundraising drive for the coronavirus, and China only gave $20 million and the U.S. gave less.

Pompeo: We are re-evaluating our funding of WHO. Organizations have to deliver the outcomes for which they were intended.

Q: Can you provide an update on the coronavirus in Iran and are we helping them?

Pompeo: We offered humanitarian assistance from day one. I regret they declined that. There are no prohibitions on medical and humanitarian aid.

Q: Are you allowing exports of medical supplies?

Pompeo: We are making sure we have enough for the American people. We are providing training to other nations. CDC officials are helping them around the world.

Q: Have any officials or diplomats contracted the virus as they rescued Americans?

P: Not that I’m aware of. Three embassy workers in different nations died of the virus.

Additional Trump remarks:

We have shipped 11 million N95 masks around the country, including 6.62 million to New York and New Jersey and 1.8 million to Chicago.

The Louisiana governor said they are doing better than they would have thought, and they need fewer beds.

We shipped over 8,000 ventilators and have nearly 10,000 on hand. More are arriving Monday.

We are working with Philips to double production by May and quadruple later this year. This will help ensure our country can produce enough ventilators in the future.

In May we will have 300 million face masks. We are thinking of getting another 200 million.

Today, another load of protective gowns landed at a Texas airport. So, we have 750,000 new gowns.

Ten drugs are in clinical trials. We are allowing new therapies to happen.

The national stockpile has received some hydroxychloroquine pills.

Michigan State Rep. Karen Whitsett said she was helped by taking hydroxychloroquine.

India shipped us nearly 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine, and I want to thank their prime minister.

WHO on Jan. 14, for the second time, said coronavirus did not spread human-human and criticized me for shutting down flights from China. We have paid hundreds of millions to them each year; last year, that was 452 million, while China paid them $42 million. I think they have to get their priorities right.

I want to thank Americans who go to work every day, especially in critical industries, including cashiers and grocery clerks, who are in danger. They’ve been incredible.

If every American will follow social distancing, we can defeat the virus quickly.

Yesterday, I asked Congress for $250 billion to expand the paycheck protection program.

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