Corona in the US: Emergency Approval for New Test Results in Minutes, but Possibly Inaccurate

Experts believe the number of new corona infections in the United States could increase dramatically. President Trump does not want to move away from his theory.

• Most corona deaths worldwide are registered in the United States.
• Now there is a new worrying forecast . 
• US President Donald Trump still has a risky plan.
  
• Our guide to pandemic reporting *, the basic facts about Sars-CoV-2 *, and the recommended corona protection measures *.

Update 10:18 p.m .: After weeks of exit restrictions, corona-related deaths in the particularly hard-hit US state of New York continue to decline slowly. 207 people died of Covid-19 within 24 hours, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday at his daily press conference. The number of victims per day continues to fall, but more slowly than it rose in March and April, when up to 800 people died from the virus each day. In the state with around 19 million inhabitants, almost half of whom live in the metropolis of New York, almost 330,000 people have been infected with the virus so far. More than 26,000 died.

Update of May 10, 12:58 p.m .: The US drug agency  FDA has issued an emergency approval for an antigen test for the coronavirus for the first time . It states that it is a new category of test, the inside of minutes results could provide, writes the FDA. 

Protein fragments of Sars-CoV-2 from nasal swabs are detected in the antigen test. This differentiates the investigation from genetic tests, in which viral genetic material is detected in smears, and from antibody tests , in which antibodies formed by the immune system are detected in the blood. According to the FDA, one advantage of antigen tests is that they deliver results very quickly. However, they are less sensitive than genetic tests, so they slip through more infections.

Corona in the US: Trump employees infected - top virologist Fauci has to be quarantined

Update from May 10th, 8:37 am: The very prominent one in the  USAImmunologist  and advisor to the US - government of President Donald Trump, Anthony Fauci , goes to Corona - quarantine . Fauci spoke to CNN on Saturday of a "modified quarantine" after contact with Trump's infected employee. 

However, it was a low-risk contact, Fauci admitted. According to the report, he was not very close to the infected employee at the time when it was known to be infected.

But to be on the safe side, he would work from home for a fortnight and wear a mask for so long , Fauci told the broadcaster. He would only go to his office at the National Health Institute if he was alone there, he added. In addition, he will be tested daily for the corona virus. On Friday, his test was still negative, said Fauci.

On Thursday, the White House announced that a Trump employee had been infected with the corona virus. The president has since been tested negative for the virus and in good health, a spokesman said.

So far, according to Johns Hopkins University, over 1.3 million corona infections have been detected in the USA. More than 78,000 people died in the United States from Covid-19 lung disease.

Update from May 9, 6:22 p.m .: In the  media dispute with Beijing , the US is topping up: Journalists with a Chinese passport should no longer receive an unlimited visa in the future  , but  only for 90 days . This emerges from a regulation issued by the Ministry of Homeland Security on Friday. Extensions are possible.

Corona in the USA: Because of WHO? Trump rejects UN resolution and causes uproar

The reason given was that China is granting foreign journalists - including those from the USA - ever shorter residence permits . The new regulation creates a "greater degree of reciprocity" . Journalists from the Chinese special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau are excluded.

Corona in the USA: Because of WHO? Trump rejects UN resolution and causes uproar

Update of May 9, 11:41 am:   The United States caused a scandal: In a joint UN resolution , the corona pandemic should call for unrest in conflict areas worldwide - but the US agency said on Friday that it could " accept the current draft resolution." not support". The resolution, which AFP saw, provided for a 90-day ceasefire that should allow measures to contain the pandemic .

The US has not provided a reason - observers suspect that an indirect mention of the WHO , which Trump is currently strongly criticizing, could be the background. Other diplomats say that the United States has insisted on "transparency in cooperation" because it has repeatedly accused China of covering up.

#Syria: We are receiving more reports every day of targeted killings & bombings from one end of the country to the other, with many attacks taking place in populated areas - @mbachelet. She urges all parties in Syria to "step back & give peace a chance" https://t.co/R49FA0NWeC pic.twitter.com/VrUBLzaOdk

The resolution had been negotiated for two months. A US representative said that from the US perspective, a resolution should be confined to the ceasefire or a resolution "that addresses the need for a renewed commitment by Member States to Covid-19 transparency and accountability ". A Security Council member's ambassador said the US rejection was "a very, very bad message for the United Nations, the Security Council and multilateralism ." According to the French UN ambassador Nicolas de Rivière, efforts are still being made to reach an agreement.

Corona virus in the US: new case in the White House

Update of May 8, 21:30:  It is the second corona case, the White House within two days: The spokeswoman for US Vice President Mike Pence , Katie Miller , is, according to US government officials and media positively to the new coronavirus tested been. Her husband Stephen Miller is a close adviser to US President Donald Trump . Spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said the White House had taken the necessary precautions to protect Trump and other government officials.

Katie Miller had attended an event in the White House rose garden on Thursday. In addition to Trump, First Lady Melania Trump , the wife of Pence and numerous senior employees were also present.

Meanwhile, the German government apparently has doubts about Donald Trump's thesis that the corona virus was grown in a laboratory in Wuhan, China. 

Corona virus in the United States: Secretary of State Pompeo plans trip to Israel

Update of May 8, 7:25 p.m .:  US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to travel to Israel for political talks next week . The visit is scheduled for May 13 , the U.S. State Department said in Washington on Friday. 

Meetings are planned with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival Benny Gantz . This should include, among other things, the common fight against the corona pandemic, regional security issues and Iran.

Corona pandemic: serious allegations against Trump - laboratory thesis simply a diversion?

Update, 11.50 a.m .: US President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hold China responsible for the corona virus. For example, Pompeo recently claimed to have "overwhelming evidence" that the virus originated in a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan. Several intelligence agencies should accuse China of covering up the outbreak. 

In this context, a media report also caused a sensation, according to which the secret services of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Great Britain and the United States should accuse China of covering up the coronavirus outbreak in the "Five Eyes" paper. It is a much-cited “attack on international transparency”. 

According to research by the NDR , citing the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), the existence of the dossier is now doubted in Germany. As reported by the NDR, the BND on Wednesday reported to the senior officials of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the German Bundestag about their own findings on China's role in the virus pandemic. Accordingly, the German foreign intelligence service should have asked the suspected partners of the "Five Eyes" dossier. However, they stated that they had no knowledge of such a document. According to Spiegel information, the BND is said to have asked the secret services about laboratory theory - but this has not been confirmed. 

According to Spiegel -Report Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to the Trumps laboratory theory in an internal memo as Ablenkungsmanöve have counted r, "to divert attention from his own mistakes and to direct the anger of Americans on China" to.

Corona outbreak avoidable? Trump sticks to controversial theory: "It was probably ..."

Update of May 8, 7.41 a.m .: US President Donald Trump has voted the Americans for the reopening of the country - despite concerns about a renewed escalation of the Corona crisis. "It's a big moment in our history because we're opening our country again," Trump said in a video message posted on Thursday (local time) on Twitter . "People want our country to open up." He promised: "We want to do it in a safe way." Apparently there are disagreements about how this should be done.

https://t.co/gQf2WFmQiC pic.twitter.com/6ZqJ8AAlRc

The New York Times reported that the White House and other government officials had rejected a draft CDC policy catalog for schools, restaurants, churches and other facilities that had to close due to the crisis. There was concern that the recommendations would be too prescriptive, violate religious rights and further harm the economy, the newspaper reported.

Corona outbreak avoidable? Trump sticks to controversial theory: "It was probably ..."

Update of May 8, 6:47 a.m .: US President Donald Trump has once again blamed China for the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and accused the country of incapacity. "It could have been stopped right at the source. It would have been easy, ”Trump said Thursday (local time) at the White House in Washington regarding the virus. "But something happened." When asked about his allegations that the pandemic originated in a research laboratory in the Chinese city

Wuhan , Trump said, may have made a “terrible mistake”.

"It was probably incompetence, someone was stupid," Trump conjectured. With regard to China, he complained: "You didn't do the job you should have done." It was unfortunate and caused the virus to spread worldwide.

Trump has claimed several times that he has evidence that the virus came from that laboratory in Wuhan. So far, however, it has not become more concrete. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said over the weekend that there was significant evidence that the laboratory crisis had started. When asked, he said that he should not comment on details.

Corona in the US: White House employee infected - he works in Trump's close environment

Update from May 7th, 6:37 pm: Also the White House in Washingto n DC . now reports a corona case. A member of the US military working in the office of the US president, was positive for the novel coronavirus tested. As a spokesman said, however, there is no danger for President Trump himself: "The President and the Vice President have since been tested negative for the virus and are still in good health"

The CNN TV station reported that it was a member of a military unit assigned to the White House that worked in the close vicinity of the President and his family.

Corona in the USA: Trump defends himself after visiting without a mask: "I was in the factory ..."

Update from May 7, 3:59 p.m .:  How is the coronavirus pandemic developing? A group of US researchers has been working on this question - and has developed three possible scenarios.

Update of May 7, 10:07 a.m .: According to a newspaper report, the Trump administration has sharply rejected criticism from Germany about stopping its payments to the World Health Organization (WHO) . "Our top priority is protecting life, non-publicity gestures and petty politics," according to the Süddeutscher Zeitung (SZ) in a letter from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to his German colleague Heiko Maas (SPD) .

What is needed is "functioning, reliable global institutions, and non-dysfunctional, inept bureaucracies that bow to the Chinese Communist Party at the cost of human lives," Pompeo wrote, the report said. At one point in the letter it said: "We are counting on you, Heiko, to lead this fight for freedom with us."

Corona in the US: Pompeo remains with WHO criticism

According to SZ, Maas had "emphatically" asked Pompeo in mid-April to "consider" the consequences of the payment freeze. Pompeo has now confirmed the US criticism of the WHO. At the same time, he emphasized that the United States continued to see "deeply committed" to international cooperation in the fight against the corona pandemic. In mid-April, US President Donald Trump justified stopping payments to the WHO with "mismanagement" and one-sidedness in favor of China .

Images of Trump without an anti-corona mask cause irritation

Meanwhile, there is some media criticism in the United States that Trump was  seen  without a mouth guard while visiting a respirator factory in Arizona  . It is a requirement for the employees there. In Germany, meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has been criticized for delivering defective protective masks.

Trump denied the allegations on Wednesday, as reported by CNN , among others . According to CNN , he insisted that he wore a mask at the appointment, only "when the cameras were there" not. "I was wearing them backstage. But I was told in the factory that I wouldn't need a mask, so I didn't need it, ” CNN quotes the US president. 

According to CNN , Trump actually allowed the building to be viewed without this corona protection measure . Images circulating on Twitter are intended to show the incident:

"Live and Let Die" heard blaring through mask factory during Trump visit https://t.co/JGdh9olOp7 pic.twitter.com/9MmcPuqjVA

Corona in the USA: Trump makes U-turn - New plans for Corona task force

Update from May 7th, 7:36 am: The United States is currently hardest hit by the corona crisis. According to Johns Hopkins University indicators, with 1,228,603 infections reported, approximately one third of the 3,755,379 cases worldwide are still in the United States. US President Donald Trump has announced a success in the US coronavirus pandemic on Twitter. The United States is so well equipped with ventilators that it helps other countries that are "desperate". The US is also testing more "than all other countries combined," Trump said on Twitter. 

The Corona Task Force , which Trump now wants to hold on to, should focus on "security" and "open our country again," Trump writes via short message service. 

.... gloves, gowns etc. are now plentiful. The last four Governors teleconference calls have been conclusively strong. Because of this success, the Task Force will continue on indefinitely with its focus on SAFETY & OPENING UP OUR COUNTRY AGAIN. We may add or subtract people ....

73,431 people in the United States have died as a result of coronavirus infection. 

Corona in the USA: Trump makes U-turn - New plans for Corona task force

Update Wednesday, May 6, 8:37 p.m .: U- turn in the US government's Corona course: President Donald Trump now wants to hold on to the White House task force on the Corona crisis - but in a modified form. Trump wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that the working group had done a “fantastic job” and would therefore continue to work indefinitely. In addition to vaccines and treatment options, the focus should be on safety and a return to normal operations in the country. Trump announced that there may be changes in the working group's membership. However, he did not become more specific. 

The White House Corona Virus Task Force, headed by Vice President Mike Pence, has done a fantastic job of bringing together vastly highly complex resources that have set a high standard for others to follow in the future. Fans, which were few & in bad shape, are now being ....

Corona in the USA: task force apparently should not be dissolved - but possibly staffed again

Earlier, US Vice President Mike Pence , who led the group, said they were reviewing the resolution of the round . This can be done in late May or early June and is a sign of "enormous progress" in the fight against Corona. US President Trump, on the other hand, said during a visit to the state of Arizona that the working group should be replaced by a new team that focused on the safe reopening of the economy. However, he received criticism for this. In Trump's tweet, however, it remained open whether the change in the previous format practically amounts to the creation of a completely new team composition.

And there was also a change of direction in the state of New York : The actually canceled presidential primaries of the Democrats are now supposed to take place there . On Tuesday, a federal court ordered the elections to be held. The reason: These are in the "public interest". New York's electoral authority canceled the June presidential election due to the corona pandemic. Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang went to court against this decision and argued, among other things, that a rejection of the election violated democratic principles. 

Corona in the US: Trump advocates a rapid revival of the US economy 

Update Wednesday, May 6, 11:15 a.m .: US President Donald Trump has again pleaded for a rapid revival of his country's economy. "Everything is not yet perfect in the fight against the corona virus," Trump said on Tuesday when visiting a respirator factory in Arizona. "But we have to open our country and we have to open it soon." Trump has repeatedly expressed his impatience with the corona restrictions that have led to a substantial decline in economic activity. Half a year before the presidential election, he wants a return to normal as quickly as possible.

On ABC News, however, Trump admitted that reopening the economy could lead to loss of life . This is "possible," he said. The decision about the Corona measures in the United States is largely in the hands of the states and counties. Some states have already started to relax restrictions .

US Vice President: Government Examines Corona Working Group

Update, 8:04 pm:  According to Vice President Mike Pence, the US government is examining the dissolution of the high-ranking coronavirus working group in the White House. This could happen in late May or early June and is a sign of "enormous progress" in the fight against the novel corona virus, Pence said on Tuesday. If the group he led were dissolved, the authorities involved, including civil protection (Fema), would take the lead, said Pence. One of the purposes of the Corona Task Force was to mobilize the necessary government agencies and coordinate their actions.

New York governor criticizes over-opening of states

Update, 4/20 pm: After the US forecasts in the Corona crisis, which had been significantly revised upwards, became known, New York governor Andrew Cuomo criticized the too rapid opening of states. “The more people are in contact with other people, the higher the infection rate from the virus. The more people become infected, the more people die , ”Cuomo said at his daily press conference on Tuesday. This is the reason for the drastically higher forecasts. "If we open quickly, it has a price."

Previously, two new calculation models for the course of the pandemic in the US had become public, which assume a significant increase in deaths due to the opening up of some states. The IHME institute is now expecting the number of deaths to rise from around 69,000 at the end of the month to around 110,000. Only from the end of July should the number of victims stabilize at around 134,000. Just a few weeks ago, the university assumed that a plateau would be reached in midsummer with around 90,000 deaths. Despite this looming escalation, US President Donald Trump, like some governors, is pressing for a quick reopening of the suffering economy.

The particularly hard-hit state of New York presented a plan for opening the economy and society in several phases on Monday . Initially, some shops and production facilities should be allowed to reopen under strict conditions, and construction work may also be resumed. Financial and insurance services and the rest of the shops will follow in phase two. After that, restaurants and hotels and, at the very end, places for art, entertainment and recreation as well as educational institutions should reopen.

Corona in the US: Trump presents risky plan - despite sinister prediction

Update, 4:30 p.m .: Despite some models that predict a worsening of the pandemic situation in the United States, the conditions in some states are loosened again - because the economy is also suffering massively. In  Florida, Utah, South Carolina and Texas, for example, the restaurants are allowed to reopen under certain conditions; among other things, they are only allowed to serve a quarter of the normal number of guests.

Ocean City, Maryland - a popular tourist destination in the United States during exit restrictions

© AFP / Samuel Corum

US President Donald Trump , who has been mostly in the White House since the pandemic broke out, wants to resume his travels across the country. Among other things, he wants to visit a factory in Arizona on Tuesday where respirators are made.

Corona in the USA: Experts counter crude Pompeo theory

Update, 2:11 pm: Western diplomats have classified the theory of the development of the corona virus in a laboratory as “ highly unlikely ”. A U.S. intelligence alliance with Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand contradicts Secretary of State Mike Pompeo . 

The weekend had spoken to the US broadcaster ABC of "significant evidence" for a laboratory accident.

Corona in the United States: health agency with sinister prediction

First report from May 5th, 12.06 : New York - The United States is by far the country most severely affected by the corona pandemic *. Could the number of deaths related to Sars-CoV-2 * increase to 3000 per day ? According to an internal forecast by the US health agency CDC,  yes. 

Corona in the US: Study reveals frightening numbers

She calculates that the number of new infections every day   could increase eight- fold by the beginning of June - to 200,000 . This is reported by both the New York Times  and the Washington Post .

The current figure of approximately 69,000 US corona deaths could double by that time. The prognosis is therefore darker than that of the Corona crisis team * created by President Donald Trump *. 

Corona virus in the USA: Trump had predicted the number of victims - it has already been exceeded

The White House tried to put the CDC forecast into perspective. It was an "internal" document that was not coordinated with other authorities and was not submitted to the crisis team.

Only recently Trump had predicted a death toll of around 60,000 - which has now been significantly exceeded, as he had to admit a few days ago. The Washington Post now tweeted: "Trump repeatedly announces corona death numbers that are then exceeded."

Trump keeps predicting coronavirus death tolls the US then surpasses pic.twitter.com/EIe47n4Uqi

Corona forecast for the United States: states too fast in easing

According to the reports, the CDC bases its forecast on the fact that some states and districts have not taken anti-corona measures quickly enough - or are now too fast with  corona loosening . 

Trump himself is pushing for the fastest possible return to normality and the revival of the US economy * in election year 2020. His government has presented a three-stage plan for this, but it is only a recommendation. The states handle these guidelines very differently.

Many people in the United States speculate about the death of a doctor and researcher: he was shot shortly before the breakthrough in coronavirus research.

A forensic doctor thinks the fear of Corona is superfluous: "This is not a killer virus."

frs with AFP material

* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.

Rubric list image: © dpa / Alex Brandon