Trump's response to coronavirus: revelations cause concern

Former Pence Adviser: Trump Doesn't Care About Anyone 1:25

(CNN) ––

A series of new revelations about the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus could reinforce concerns about whether the administration's political motives took a higher priority than the health of Americans.

The newspaper

reported Thursday that scientists from the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English) did not write the controversial recommendation of the agency limited the extent of who the test should be conducted of coronavirus.

According to the report, said guideline was "sent" by the Department of Health to the CDC's public website.

• READ: CDC's testing guide was released outside of normal review process, sources say

For its part,

recently revealed that in the spring, the Postal Service and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) were working on a plan to send masks to areas with many infections.

Ultimately, the project envisioned sending them across the country.

But the White House reportedly rejected the idea out of fear that receiving masks would cause panic.

And this Friday, President Donald Trump said there will be enough coronavirus vaccines for all Americans in April.

Which, once again, contradicts the estimates of medical experts within his own administration.

Despite Trump's optimistic stance, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve any of the vaccines in clinical trials.

What do the new reports reveal about Trump's handling of the coronavirus?

The new reports suggest that Trump's comments to journalist Bob Woodward at the beginning of the US pandemic were leaked to the agencies responsible for the federal response to the coronavirus.

Specifically that, despite knowing that the coronavirus is "deadly", Trump "always wanted to downplay it."

Purposeful or not, in both stories, the agencies appeared to opt for strategies along the lines of Trump.

And, in effect, they downplayed the urgency of the pandemic.

Trump admits he downplayed covid-19 5:25

According to

, the CDC guidelines sent out by HHS were released despite objections from agency scientists.

And when they were released, HHS did not subject the language used to CDC's rigorous scientific review process.

A federal official close to the process told CNN last month that the new guideline came top-down.

A source also told CNN on Friday that HHS sent the guidance to the CDC.

CNN previously reported that the change in the guidelines was made on August 24.

On that day, the guidelines replaced her recommendation to test for coronavirus "all close contacts of people with SARS-CoV-2 infection."

Instead, they noted that some people without symptoms may not need to be tested.

Even if they have been in close contact with someone who is known to have covid-19.

Less covid-19 testing

The change came after Trump said earlier this summer that coronavirus testing was a "double-edged sword."

According to him, because they showed more positive cases.

• LEE: Trump admits to having hidden the real threat of the coronavirus in a new book by Woodward

The president also clarified that he was not joking when he told a rally that he had asked staff to decrease testing.

However, federal health officials have maintained that they were not instructed to slow down coronavirus testing.

On Friday, the CDC once again updated the coronavirus testing guidelines.

The new version reverts the HHS changes.

The updated guide emphasizes that anyone who has been in contact with someone infected should get tested for coronavirus.

Postal Service and HHS Plan

The Postal Service and HHS, according to

, had a plan this spring to begin distributing masks across the country.

The first would be sent to the most affected areas.

The plan had advanced so far that the Postal Service had already drafted a press release for the distribution plan.

But the White House scrapped the project.

Instead, it opted for an HHS program, Project America Strong, to distribute "reusable cotton masks to critical infrastructure sectors, businesses, health centers, and faith-based and community organizations across the country."

Trump worsens US recovery, poll finds 0:43

A government official told the Post: "There was concern from some in the White House Council on Home Affairs and the vice president's office that the masks being received by households could generate concern or panic."

Speaking to the press on Friday, the president said he did not know why the Postal Service's plan to distribute face masks was canceled.

"If those masks had been delivered, and you look at the calculations, you model this in other countries, you see what has happened and it seems that maybe 80% of the people who died could have been saved," said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, correspondent CNN's chief physician to "New Day" in response to the

report

In April, when the Postal Service prepared for distribution, there was evidence that the coronavirus could spread among asymptomatic people.

That month, the government recommended that people wear cloth face coverings.

See these deceptive tricks in Trump 3:30 campaign videos

Trump said at the time that the recommendations, announced after a week of heated deliberations in the White House, were voluntary and that he would not do so.

Since then, the president has used face masks infrequently in public.

And, more recently, he questioned its effectiveness.

CNN's Nikki Carvajal contributed to this report.

CDCcovid-19Department of HealthmasksPandemic