President Donald Trump has been saying that the updated coronavirus numbers in the United States have been plummeting, but his own pandemic task force says the opposite in a report obtained by NBC.
On Monday morning Trump tweeted that “coronavirus numbers are looking MUCH better, going down almost everywhere.” Then later at a White House press conference he asserted that “all throughout the country, the numbers are coming down rapidly.”
However, a May 7 White House report titled “Early Indicators” states that coronavirus infection rates have hit new highs in big cities and in small communities all over the United States. According to the report, some states that have relaxed their lockdown restrictions have shown a massive jump in coronavirus cases. For example, infections in certain areas of both Tennessee and Kansas have jumped by 1,000% over the course of a week.
Trousdale County, TN has the highest per capita coronavirus infection rate in the US. That’s partly because of an outbreak at the privately-owned Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, where nearly all the inmates and staff have tested positive.
A day after NBC got its hands on the White House report, Dr. Anthony Fauci told Congress that easing lockdowns would be a very bad move that will lead to more outbreaks of COVID-19.
So far, the coronavirus has claimed over 84,000 lives in the United States. More than 1.4 million people have been infected.
A set of tables included with the White House report show additional areas of the country that have been ravaged by the virus. Central City, Kentucky experienced a whopping 650% increase over the previous week. Also hit hard are Nashville, Tennessee; Des Moines, Iowa; and Amarillo, Texas.
The report indicates that the rate of new coronavirus cases in Charlotte, North Carolina and Kansas City, Missouri have spiked by more than 200% over the previous 7 days. The report lists other “locations to watch” as Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Montgomery, Alabama; Columbus, Ohio; and Phoenix, Arizona.
