Trump officials encourage public to ignore the news as community transmission of coronavirus spreads in California
California has a second case of community transmission of the coronavirus, a 65-year-old resident of Santa Clara County who has no known history of travel to countries hit hard by the outbreak, people familiar with the case said Friday.
There is also no apparent connection between the new patient and anyone else with the disease caused by the virus, covid-19. On Wednesday, health authorities revealed the nation’s first case of community transmission, a woman in Solano County, California, about 90 miles away.
That means the virus appears to be spreading among at least two separate populations, according to people who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information has not been released publicly.
Two separate cases of community transmission likely means that there are others in the United States, said Jennifer Nuzzo, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
“I think there’s a strong possibility that there’s local transmission going in California. In other words, the virus is spreading within California, and I think there’s a possibility other states are in the same boat. They just haven’t recognized that yet,” she said. [Continue reading…]
Trump administration officials are holding preliminary conversations about economic responses to the coronavirus, as the stock market fell sharply again on Friday amid international fears about the outbreak, according to five people with knowledge of the planning.
Among the options being considered are pursuing a targeted tax cut package, these people said. They have also discussed whether the White House should lean even harder on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, though the central bank on Friday afternoon said it would step in if necessary. [Continue reading…]
White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney suggested Friday that Americans ignore the media’s coverage of the coronavirus, arguing that journalists are ratcheting up fears to try to hurt President Donald Trump politically.
Mulvaney, who also heads the Office of Management and Budget, also said that there will “probably” be school closures and transportation issues due to the impact of the virus.
“Are you going to see some schools shut down? Probably. May you see impacts on public transportation? Sure,” Mulvaney said as he attempted to assure his audience that the Trump administration was on top of the virus. [Continue reading…]