Wednesday, September 16, 2020

September 16: Johns Hopkins COVID 19 Report

COVID-19

Updates on the emerging novel coronavirus pandemic from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

The Center for Health Security is analyzing and providing updates on the COVID-19 pandemic. If you would like to receive these updates, please subscribe below and select COVID-19. Additional resources are also available on our website.

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The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security also produces US Travel Industry and Retail Supply Chain Updates that provide a summary of major issues and events impacting the US travel industry and retail supply chain. You can access them here.

EPI UPDATE The WHO COVID-19 Dashboard reports 29.36 million cases and 930,260 deaths as of 5:45am EDT on September 16.

Globally, at least 11 countries are reporting test positivity greater than 15%, at least 3 times higher than the WHO’s 5% benchmark. Of these countries, 4 are reporting test positivity greater than 30%: Argentina (51.6%), Mexico (47.4%), Oman (38.9%)*, and Bolivia (32.5%). Additionally, a number of these countries are reporting increasing trends, which indicates that testing capacity is not sufficient to accurately capture the existing level of community transmission. Beyond the countries reporting high test positivity, a number of countries currently reporting increasing incidence are also reporting increasing test positivity. Several in Europe are reporting increased test positivity, including the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Spain, and the UK. While a number of these countries have sufficiently low test positivity, including some less than 3%, the increasing trends have persisted over the past several weeks, which is concerning.

*Oman’s most recent data is from July 30.

In the US, test positivity has increased sharply over the past several days as well, up from 4.8% to 6.1% (a 27% increase) from September 10 to September 13—the most recent data available—which is the highest average reported in the US since August 12. Notably, the testing volume in the US decreased sharply over that time as well, falling below 600,000 tests per day for the first time since mid-June. Additionally, COVID-19 incidence has increased in the US over the past several days, so it will be important to continue monitoring test positivity to determine if this could be the early stage of a longer-term trend.

As we have addressed previously, test positivity data is not available for many countries, so it is likely that additional countries are facing similar challenges.

UNITED STATES

The US CDC reported 6.54 million total cases and 194,092 deaths. The US is averaging 35,752 new cases and 772 deaths per day, both slight increases over the past several days. If the US continues at its current pace, it could reach 200,000 cumulative COVID-19 deaths in the next 8 days. In total, 21 states (no change) are reporting more than 100,000 cases, including California with more than 700,000 cases; Florida and Texas with more than 600,000; New York with more than 400,000; and Arizona, Georgia, and Illinois with more than 200,000.

The Johns Hopkins CSSE dashboard reported 6.61 million US cases and 195,926 deaths as of 10:30am EDT on September 16.

US CDC REPORTING & GUIDANCE Reports have emerged over the past week that publications in the CDC's Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) journal have been subject to review by political appointees. The initial report was made by Politico and then supported by other media outlets. This is a departure from the traditional scientific review process, and has raised concerns by some experts that the involvement of political appointees could jeopardize the impartiality of the information contained in the articles. The MMWR is a key source of information for outside experts, including state and local public health officials and clinicians. Some experts also expressed concern that political involvement, or the appearance of political involvement, in CDC reporting could further undermine confidence in health and regulatory agencies and officials, which could be particularly problematic in terms of establishing confidence in a future vaccine.

HHS Assistant Secretary for Communications, Michael Caputo, said that the effort was designed to increase scrutiny over CDC reporting, but he also accused the CDC reports of including “political content” in their reports, as opposed to strictly technical information and evidence-based guidance. Mr. Caputo has himself recently faced controversy for a video posted on his personal Facebook page in which he levied a series of accusations against CDC scientists, including that they were engaging in acts of “sedition.” It is not clear exactly whether or how the review by government officials outside of the CDC ultimately changed the content of individual reports.

US K-12 SCHOOLS US school districts are employing a wide array of approaches to provide educational opportunities, whether in person or remote, to students. According to Burbio, more than 60% of public schools in the US have decided to begin the academic year with remote learning. While some schools had planned to bring students back in person, at least in some capacity, a renewed increase in COVID-19 cases has forced several districts to return to remote learning plans. School superintendents point to students attending parties before the start of school as one reason for the rise in cases. Coupled with staff shortages, school districts have few choices other than to pursue remote learning. Plans to return students physically to class have not been fully abandoned; many schools are looking at the possibility of delayed return to in-person learning in October or January. Parents counting on the return of their children to school have been disappointed that in-person learning will not occur on schedule, but many agree that the safety of students and staff are paramount under the current circumstances.

Above the school district level, state-level interventions to support in-person learning are also highly varied across the US. In Rhode Island, the state government has initiated a school testing program that offers free diagnostic testing to students, teachers, and staff. This program is separate from the normal state testing program. Rhode Island Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott reported that the school testing program would be able to run 5,000 tests per day. Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared that school testing data is considered confidential by the government and has not encouraged schools to independently report their data. However, many school districts have decided to continue publishing their case data in the interest of transparency for students, staff, and the community. While open and transparent data sharing practices are important for controlling COVID-19 in communities, the lack of standardization for reporting across school districts could complicate response efforts.

US COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES On a per capita basis, college towns are accounting for many of the country’s most severe outbreaks. According to data published by USA Today on September 11, 19 of the top 25 local outbreaks in the US were in college towns. Harrisonburg, Virginia—home to James Madison University—topped the list with more than 1,500 cases per 100,000 population over the previous 2 weeks. The school suspended in-person classes and sent students home in order to reduce the number of people on campus after detecting more than 500 cases within the first week of classes.

Universities continue to issue suspensions and other punishments for students who violate university COVID-19 policies or public health guidelines. Virginia Tech has now issued more than 40 interim suspensions to students and removed some students from campus housing. Oxford, Mississippi, home to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), has issued more than 60 citations since August to people for violations of local social distancing restrictions. Transmission around college campuses is not limited to students and staff. In Oxford, 26 residents in a long-term care facility for veterans “died in connection with” COVID-19 in the past month. Although it is likely not possible to link students directly to individual cases and deaths in the local community in most instances, transmission between the university population and local public is inevitable.

US PEDIATRIC TESTING Since the onset of the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 testing has been a challenge in the US. Following the summer resurgence, the US appeared to be recovering in terms of testing capacity, with the national-level test positivity settling in at approximately 5%—in line with the WHO’s benchmark. Notably, however, national testing volume has decreased drastically over the past several days—dropping from 800,000 tests per day to fewer than 600,000 in just 4 days—and test positivity has sharply increased. But the national trends do not tell the entire story. One problem in particular, lies in testing availability for pediatric patients. This barrier is especially problematic as the school year starts and children across the country resume in-person classes. Many public testing sites are not able to provide tests for children (or have an age cutoff that excludes younger children), and many pediatricians do not offer testing or have limited testing supplies, making it difficult for parents and guardians to identify testing locations that will accept their children. As it becomes increasingly clear that children can be infected and transmit the virus it is critical that health systems and public health agencies incorporate pediatric patients into their testing strategies.

US ELECTION & VOTING The US presidential election is less than 50 days away, and it is clear that this election will be like no other in history. Election experts anticipate an increase in the use of mail-in voting in many parts of the country, as many people are concerned about the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission at polling locations. States vary widely in how they are addressing the need or desire to vote by mail during the pandemic, as opposed to in person, as well as their readiness to implement vote-by-mail programs. According to Ballotpedia, at least 35 states have adapted voting regulations regarding absentee or mail-in voting in response to COVID-19. Efforts to increase access to mail-in voting in some states have been challenged in court, with outcomes of these lawsuits varying from state to state. In addition to voters in the US, US citizens currently living in other countries may also face challenges to the normal absentee voting process. In Hong Kong, for example, government officials warned that standard mail to the US could take several months to arrive, so individuals might need to use couriers or other services in order to request, receive, and return ballots on time. Additionally, the US Postal Service (USPS) has suspended international mail service to more than 40 countries and territories due to COVID-19.

In addition to voting, presidential and other campaigns are navigating restrictions imposed to contain COVID-19. As we covered previously, the Democratic and Republican National Conventions incorporated a variety of changes, including remote speeches and delegate voting. The Presidential debate schedule and format have been finalized, although the location of several debates has already changed due to COVID-19 concerns. As the election season continues, both presidential candidates, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, are ramping up their campaign schedules.

Notably, the two candidates are taking different approaches to campaign events, including rallies. Earlier this week, President Trump held his first indoor rally since June. The event, held in Nevada (which prohibits indoor gatherings of more than 50 people), drew thousands of people. Many attendees did not wear masks or practice appropriate physical distancing, prompting the local government to issue a fine of $3,000 to the company hosting the event for violating state COVID-19 restrictions. Conversely, Joe Biden and running mate Senator Kamala Harris continue to host remote events or smaller in-person events rather than large rallies. These events reportedly maintain strict adherence to mask use and social distancing recommendations or requirements.

CORONAVIRUS RESEARCH The FDA is collaborating with researchers in the UK, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore to conduct a study of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV clinical specimens in order to better characterize coronavirus evolution, virulence, and immunity. The research could provide critical insight for vaccine and therapeutic development and identify biomarkers for disease severity and progression as well as enhanced immunity or protection. Additionally, the study aims to research the potential for these coronaviruses to develop antiviral resistance. As part of the study, the researchers will develop and evaluate in vitro models for coronavirus infections, including “organs-on-chips,” and validate them against animal and human in vivo responses to support advanced MCM screening efforts. The study is scheduled to run through 2023 and projected to cost US$5.4 million.

VACCINE CLINICAL TRIALS Following news that Phase 3 clinical trials for the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine will resume in the UK after pausing to evaluate a serious adverse event in one of the participants, US regulatory authorities are evaluating the available data to determine whether or not to proceed with the clinical trials. Reportedly, there is considerable concern among senior officials at the NIH, and the agency is awaiting tissue samples for evaluation. One senior agency researcher indicated that an assessment could take a month or longer to determine whether it is appropriate to continue the clinical trials in the US. Regulatory officials and experts at the NIH may compare tissue samples to those from US trial participants or request additional data from the UK researchers and safety monitoring board.

In the UK, researchers at Imperial College London and Oxford University are reportedly initiating a study to determine if candidate SARS-CoV-2 vaccines could potentially be inhaled rather than injected. Previous studies for other vaccines have found that nasal formulations require lower doses compared to intramuscular injection, which could increase the number of doses available, particularly early on as production capacity is scaling up. Additionally, many people prefer nasal sprays to injections. The study will include 30 participants and test vaccines developed by both universities.

DIVERSITY & ETHICS IN CLINICAL TRIALS One of the major challenges facing clinical trials in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is ensuring appropriate inclusion and diversity among participants. Certain populations, including racial and ethnic minorities and incarcerated individuals, have faced a disproportionate burden during the pandemic, but there are concerns among researchers and health experts that clinical trial subjects are not sufficiently representative of the affected population. As we covered earlier this week, Pfizer, Inc., recently announced its intent to expand the study population for the Phase 3 trials of its candidate vaccine, in part to improve the diversity among the participants. Despite awareness campaigns, some trials—for vaccines and other investigational drugs—continue to struggle to enroll racial and ethnic minorities, which can hinder efforts to effectively evaluate candidate vaccines’ efficacy through clinical trials.

While incarcerated individuals represent a high-risk population, both for infection and severe disease and death, it is difficult to include these individuals in clinical trials. From an ethical perspective, there is concern that these individuals, due to the control and restrictions associated with their incarceration, may not be able to fully consent to be included in clinical trials.

BARICITINIB Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced preliminary findings from a study that indicates that baricitinib, a drug typically used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, could provide treatment benefit for hospitalized COVID-19 patients when administered in conjunction with remdesivir. The study was conducted under the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT-2), which is administered by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID). According to a press release issued by Eli Lilly, the study was randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled and included more than 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Participants received either baricitinib in conjunction with remdesivir or remdesivir treatment alone.

The patients who received baricitinib exhibited a statistically significant decrease of 1 day in their time to hospital discharge. Additional analysis is ongoing, including for safety and mortality. Based on the data, Eli Lilly intends to discuss the possibility of an Emergency Use Authorization. Eli Lilly is also conducting a Phase 3 clinical trial for the drug—”baricitinib versus background therapy”—in the US and multiple countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. While this preliminary data is promising, additional study is needed to better characterize the treatment benefits of baricitinib as well as its safety profile. Like numerous previous examples during the COVID-19 pandemic, early results from clinical trials are being published first in press release form rather than in peer-reviewed publications, and we have not yet been able to locate the underlying data and analysis that supports the press release.

September 16: 1941 New COVID-19 Cases in Illinois

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    Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 1,941 new known COVID-19 cases reported as Pritzker extends statewide eviction moratorium and says Will, Kankakee counties could soon see bars and indoor dining reopen

By CHICAGO TRIBUNE STAFF

CHICAGO TRIBUNE |

SEP 16, 2020 AT 12:35 PM

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber.

Ian Van Cleaf, assistant principal, takes the temperature of a student arriving on the first day of school at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood before Anna can enter the school on Sept. 2, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)


Illinois health officials Wednesday announced 1,941 new known cases of COVID-19 and 35 additional confirmed fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 266,151 and the statewide death toll to 8,367 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 52,311 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 3.7%.

Meanwhile, with Congress and the White House having yet to agree on a coronavirus relief package that would send additional money to ailing state and local governments, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday that he’s asked the heads of state agencies to prepare for 5% cuts to this year’s budget and 10% cuts next year.


Also Tuesday, Chicago officials said Wisconsin is back on the clock to perhaps get added to the COVID-19 rogue’s gallery of states that trigger a requirement that people stay inside for two weeks if they travel from there to Chicago.

Pointing to a recent spike in cases in Illinois' neighbor to the north, city Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s health commissioner, said as soon as next week, Wisconsin could again join other states on the mandatory self-quarantine list if numbers don’t improve.

Above is from:  https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-covid-19-pandemic-chicago-illinois-news-20200916-nahsbw3h2jhupi734um3quur2e-story.html

ABC Factcheck of Trump’s 9-15-2020 Townhall


2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

President Trump town hall fact check: What's true and what's false?

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PHILADELPHIA -- ABC News fact checked the claims made by President Donald Trump in a televised town hall on ABC Tuesday night.
President Donald Trump to face uncommitted voters in ABC News town hall event in Philadelphia

THE ECONOMY AND TAXES

Wall Street does not represent Main Street
TRUMP'S CLAIM: Trump touted the success of the stock market, which has rallied after early coronavirus losses in March, as proof that Americans are "doing better than they were doing before the pandemic came."
FACT CHECK: Trump's claim wrongly suggests Wall Street is a strong indicator of how well Main Street is doing.
"Look, we're having a tremendous thing in the stock market, and that's good for everybody," Trump said during the town hall.
"Stocks are owned by everybody," he said. "I mean, you know, they talk about the stock market is so good. That's 401(k)s."
Trump claimed the benefits of the stock market directly benefit everyone, when in fact the vast majority of stocks are owned by the rich. The wealthiest top 10% of American households own over 80% of stocks, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, and almost half of U.S. households own any stock at all, including 401(k)s, according to the Survey of Consumer Finances.
Meanwhile, there are other indicators that more clearly paint a picture of Americans' economic situation as a result of the coronavirus, even as the stock market excels. The unemployment rate skyrocketed from around 3% pre-pandemic to nearly 15% in April. It now sits at 8.4%, meaning more than half of the Americans who lost their jobs are still out of work. Consumer confidence is also down - a measure that show Main Street is struggling even if Wall Street is staying afloat.
Trump misrepresents impact of Biden's tax plan
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "If you look at his policies ... he wants to raise everybody's taxes."
FACT CHECK: The Democratic nominee for president, former Vice President Joe Biden, has said he wants to raise taxes on high earners.
When asked about his tax plan in August, former Vice President Joe Biden told "World News Tonight" Anchor David Muir," "I will raise taxes for anybody making over $400,000."
Biden added, "no new taxes" would be levied for anyone making under $400,000.
However, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Tax Policy Foundation, under Biden's plan, taxes do appear to increase by a small amount across the board. But 93% of increases would be shouldered by the top quintile of taxpayers, according to the analysis.
The Tax Policy Foundation found that the Biden tax plan "would lead to 7.8 percent less after-tax income for the top 1 percent of taxpayers, 1.1 percent lower after-tax income for the top 5 percent, and around 0.6 percent less after-tax income for other income quintiles."
COVID-19

Trump falsely states that more testing accounts for US coronavirus rate
TRUMP'S CLAIM: Stephanopoulos noted that the United States had just 4% of the world's population but more than 20% of its COVID-19 cases and more than 20% of its COVID-19 deaths. Trump replied: "Well, we have 20% of the cases because of the fact that we do much more testing. If we wouldn't do testing you wouldn't have cases. You would have very few cases."
FACT CHECK: While the U.S. has conducted more COVID-19 tests than any other country, Trump is incorrect to say that the level of testing accounts for the country's proportionately higher number of confirmed cases, which he has repeatedly claimed for months.
Fundamentally, cases of COVID-19 exist in a population whether or not testing picks them up.
More testing will, of course, identify more cases.
But according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, there are at least several countries that have conducted more testing per capita than the U.S., but also have fewer cases per capita than the U.S. does - such as Australia, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. Those figures reflect all-time averages of daily tests conducted per capita -- and the daily percentage of tests that come back positive, which is known as the "positivity rate" or the "percent positive rate."
Despite having one of the highest rates of tests per capita, the U.S. faces the largest outbreak in the world and new cases continue to trend upward in many states. The percent positivity in the U.S. remains high at 8%, when other countries with high testing figures report a significantly lower percent positivity rate, according to Johns Hopkins.
Trump is mistaken to suggest the higher reported rate of cases in the United States is purely a result of the increased testing.
Trump cites coronavirus 'excess mortality,' an unreliable international comparison
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "We're starting to get very good marks if you look at what we've done compared to other countries with the excess mortality, the excess mortality rate." // "Excess mortality rate -- it's compared to Europe. Compared to other places, it's about 25% better. In one case, it's over 60% better. And we also have a very big country -- you know, this is -- we're talking about a lot bigger than most countries. "
FACT CHECK: "Excess mortality" is the number of total deaths in a period of time compared with the number of expected deaths.
It's a poor comparison to make, since it doesn't reflect differences in demographics, population density and the state of the pandemic in each place.
The available data is poor, but using the midpoint of an estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and EuropeMOMO data adjusted for population -- the latter of which is missing large parts of Europe -- the rate is about the same for the United State and Europe, according to an analysis by FactCheck.org.
Another source, the "Human Mortality Database," shows that Europe's rate -- not adjusted for population -- is 32% higher, but accounting for population, it's actually 32% lower, according to the FactCheck.org analysis.
Due to the unavailability of strong data, demographic differences, uneven timing of outbreaks, and other factors, Trump's comparison is misconstrued.
Trump overly optimistic on COVID-19 vaccine timing, exaggerates availability
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "We're very close to having a vaccine. ... We're within weeks of getting it. You know, could be three weeks, four weeks but we think we have it."
FACT CHECK: Trump's timeline is overly optimistic and exaggerates how soon most Americans will be able to get vaccinated.
Several potential COVID-19 vaccines are currently going through phase III of trials, with pharmaceutical companies enrolling tens of thousands of participants to test the vaccines' safety and efficacy before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will approve their general use.
Top U.S. government public health officials and other experts have said that it's possible if everything goes well -- but unlikely -- that vaccine trials will have enough clear and compelling data will be available by the end of October or beginning of November. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's foremost infectious disease expert, has said he thinks there will be a "safe and effective vaccine" by "the end of this calendar year."
But even once that data becomes available for one or more of the vaccines, it will still need to be reviewed by the FDA and an independent advisory committee.
At that point, if the FDA determines the data shows the vaccine is safe and effective, it's possible the agency will grant approval for its use, either in a limited manner with an "emergency use authorization," or for more broad use. At that point, the vaccine is expected to be first given to high-priority groups, like health care workers or those living in nursing homes. It will take months before the wider U.S. general population receives it, according to public health officials.
Trump is wrong to suggest there is no consensus on wearing masks
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "People don't want to wear masks. There are a lot of people [who] think the masks are not good."
FACT CHECK: This view does not reflect the scientific consensus.
The recommendation to wear a mask is now almost unanimous among health experts, including some of the president's own appointees, who have all been very vocal in encouraging the American people to wear masks to curtail the spread of the disease.
Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have issued statements urging people to wear masks in public settings.
"There are people that don't think masks are good," Trump said, prompting Stephanopoulos to ask, "Who are those people?"
"Waiters," Trump said. "They come over and they serve you, and they have a mask. They're playing with the mask, so the mask is over and they're touching it, and then they're touching the plate. That can't be good."
But researchers from Stanford University found the opposite.
"Wearing a mask reminds people to continue to be cautious," they said. "With a mask on, you actually touch your face less."
In an interview last month on ABC News' "World News Tonight," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said "a universal wearing of masks is one of five or six things that are very important in preventing the upsurge in infection."
"We know that during the first wave of the pandemic, those countries that implemented masking early were more successful than others at reducing the spread of the virus," the Stanford researchers wrote.
Duke University researchers have also concluded that "if 95 percent of people wear cloth masks when within 6 feet of other people in public, it will reduce COVID-19 transmission by at least 30 percent."
Trump noted that health experts had originally recommended against wearing a mask -- but his claim was misleading.
"If you look at Dr. Fauci's original statement, you look at a lot of people -- CDC -- they said very strongly, George, [they said], 'Don't wear masks,'" Trump said. "Then all of a sudden, they went to 'wear masks.'"
At the beginning of the pandemic, the CDC and the WHO, as well as Fauci and other top experts, initially discouraged wearing masks because of concerns that masks and other personal protective equipment were in short supply for health care workers who needed them.
While Fauci mainly cited the need to conserve masks, he did say in an interview with "60 Minutes" that wearing a mask may also have unintended consequences, such as leading people to touch their face more often to adjust them, spreading germs from their hands.
In early April, the CDC changed its recommendation about face coverings for the general public, based on evidence that a significant number of people who were asymptomatic or not yet feeling sick were transmitting the virus.
Trump claims he didn't 'downplay' COVID-19 -- despite admitting to having done just that
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "I didn't downplay it. I, actually, in many ways, I up-played it, in terms of action. My action was very strong."
FACT CHECK: During the town hall, Trump said he "didn't downplay" the virus -- when in fact, he has admitted to just that.
"I wanted to always play it down," Trump said in a March 19 interview with veteran journalist Bob Woodward, according to CNN, which obtained an audio recording of the interview, and The Washington Post. "I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic."
When the audio was first played last week, a reporter asked if he had misled the public in order to reduce panic.
"I think if you said, 'in order to reduce panic,' perhaps that's so," Trump replied. "I'm a cheerleader for this country.'
After Trump said Tuesday night he "didn't downplay it," Stephanopoulos pressed him: "Did you not admit to it yourself saying that you--?"
"Yeah, because what I did was, with China, I put a ban on," Trump said, referring to limitations he put on travel from China starting on Feb. 2. "With Europe, I put a ban on, and we would have lost thousands of more people had I not put the ban on," he added; the ban on certain travel from Europe began March 13.
"So that was called 'action,' not with the mouth but in actual fact," Trump said.
COVID-19 is unlikely to go away on its own, despite Trump's insistence
TRUMP'S CLAIM: COVID-19 is "probably going to go away now a lot faster because of the vaccine. It would go away without the vaccine, George, but it's going to go away a lot faster with the vaccine."
George Stephanopoulos: "It will go away without the vaccine?"
Trump: "Sure, over a period of time. Sure, with time it goes away."
FACT CHECK: This statement is misleading.
The virus is unlikely to go away definitively even with a vaccine. Similar to what has happened with past pandemic influenza viruses and the more mild human coronaviruses that cause "colds," experts believe that as the pandemic wanes, it may synchronize to a seasonal pattern with diminished severity over time due to mutations and reinfection.

Even so, its trajectory is difficult to predict as the virus is still being studied.

HEALTH CARE AND THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Trump is suing to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, which guarantees coverage for preexisting conditions, and has not proposed an alternative
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "We're going to be doing a health care plan, very strongly, and protect people with preexisting conditions." // "We have other alternatives to Obamacare that are 50% less expensive and that are actually better."
FACT CHECK: While President Trump and Republicans have repeatedly insisted on protecting preexisting conditions, the Trump administration is currently in court seeking to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, which guarantees coverage for Americans with preexisting medical conditions.
Republicans, urged on by Trump, sought to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017, falling several votes short in the Senate. They sought to replace the program with an alternative that included multiple options, which experts said offered skimpier preexisting condition protections than Obamacare.
These short-term and association health plans, alternatives promoted by the Trump administration, while cheaper, have fewer benefits for consumers, including weaker preexisting condition protections.
Trump has also repeatedly promised his own health care proposal that has failed to materialize; in June of 2019, he told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos it would be unveiled within two months, and said as recently as last month that it would be released in "two weeks."
Trump again claimed the health care plan was forthcoming - but offered no specific details or timeline.
"I have it already, and it's a much better plan for you," he said on Tuesday.
Trump claims to run Obamacare well -- but cut funding, added limits
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "We have run it so much better than Obama ran it."
FACT CHECK: This claim grossly misrepresents how the Trump administration has administered the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, which the administration is currently in court seeking to dismantle.
Trump has cut funding for Obamacare advertising and navigators that help people obtain health care coverage, and limited enrollment periods for Americans.
The administration in March decided against opening up a window for people to sign up for health care at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
POLICE VIOLENCE AND RACIAL INEQUALITY

Trump misrepresents Republican police reform bill
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "We have a great senator named Tim Scott, from South Carolina, and he had a plan that was very much of a compromise plan, but it was a plan that everybody pretty much agreed to.
FACT CHECK: Trump mischaracterized Republican Sen. Tim Scott's policing reform proposal, unveiled in June and voted down about a week later, as a "compromise plan."
Democrats did not agree with many of the proposals in the Scott bill, and many, including Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., argued the bill did not go far enough to "meet the moment" following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed by police in Minneapolis.
Democrats offered their own, more-sweeping police reform proposal to counter Scott's. The Democratic proposal passed the House, but has not been taken up for a vote by the Senate.
Scott's proposal differed from the Democratic proposal in several key ways: The Democrats hoped to ban the use of chokeholds, which the Scott proposal did not do. The Republican bill also did not eliminate qualified immunity for police officers or ban "no-knock" warrants, both measures Democrats sought.
The Republican bill offered cities incentives for ending the use of chokeholds but did not ban them entirely, establish a 19-member Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, and included a proposal to beef up funding for popular Community Oriented Policing (COP) programs. It also imposed stiff penalties for any officer who knowingly alters a police report in his or her favor.
While Trump claimed that "a lot of Democrats agreed to" the bill, only three voted to advance it to debate on the Senate floor, effectively killing the legislation.
Trump doesn't tell full story of crime by focusing on cities' Democratic leadership
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "This is a Democrat problem, George. ... This is largely a Democrat problem if you just take a look at the list. Every Democrat city -- almost, not all, but a lot of them, certainly in the top 25, even if you go the top 50 -- almost every city is run by the Democrats. People don't respect our police."
FACT CHECK: Trump repeatedly argued that cities experiencing surges in violent crime are all run by Democratic leaders and that crime is "largely a Democrat problem."
The 20 cities with the highest rates of violent crime per capita are currently led by Democratic mayors, with the exception of Jacksonville, Florida, which is run by a Republican, and two other cities that are run by independents, according to a review of the FBI's uniform crime report from the first six months of 2019, the most recent national data set focusing on violent crime reports.
It is misleading to state, however, as Trump did in the town hall, that rising crime is primarily driven by the Democratic leadership in their respective states.
Cities with higher population and urban areas are certainly represented predominantly by Democrats, but the rise in violent crime across the nation has not been restricted to those that are run by Democrats. The insinuation of a Democratic leader as the cause of the rising crime is not an accurate claim. High population areas and urban areas, run by leaders on both ends of the political spectrum, have historically had higher reported instances of violent crime.
For instance, the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks mass shootings nationwide, last month reported that the country was on pace for nearly 600 mass shootings, which would be the highest total tallied by the group in its history. That predicted total was not a summation of only Democratic-run cities but as a result of the rising crime rate nationwide, including cities and towns led by Republican officials.
Black-white income gap persisted before pandemic, and Trump does not have 'tremendous African American support'
TRUMP'S CLAIM: Trump claimed that he had "tremendous African American support" and that, "had we not been hit by this horrible disease ... we would be in a position where I think income inequality would be different. It was really getting there. We were really driving it down -- I can only compare it to the past. The African American, the Black community, was doing better than it had ever done by far, both in terms of unemployment, homeownership, so many different statistics."
FACT CHECK: The income gap between Black and white Americans has persisted since 1970, despite Trump's comment that it had improved before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Median Black household income was 61% of median white household income in 2018, according to the Pew Research Center.

The homeownership gap between Black and white individuals was also at the widest level in 50 years in 2017, according to a 2019 report from the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.
The president, in his pitch to the Black community, also said, "We have tremendous African American support. You've probably seen it in the polls, we're doing extremely well with African Americans."
But his claim runs counter to recent polling, in which he garners between 5% to 11% support among Black likely voters, according to polls from Fox News and Quinnipiac University.
The most recent polling is similar to where Trump stood in 2016, when 8% of African American voters supported him, according to exit polls. Trump saw slightly higher support in 2016 among this demographic compared to Mitt Romney when he ran on the Republican ticket for president in 2012, and received 6% of the Black vote.

IMMIGRATION

Trump says 'we want people to come,' but legal immigration down, too
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "We want people to come into our country ... but we want them to come in through a legal system."
FACT CHECK: Trump campaigned on the promise to crack down on both legal and illegal immigration.
Under his administration, levels of legal immigration have decreased using such measures as caps on refugee admissions and sharp restrictions on people making asylum claims at the border.
Last year, the administration set a refugee cap of 18,000 people, which was down from the 110,000 limit set by Obama in 2016. The U.S. no longer leads the world in refugee admissions, according to a Pew Research Center report.
The president has ordered the suspension of several visa types this year, including employment-based visas, citing the health crisis.
JUDGES


Trump exaggerates number of confirmed judges
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "At the end of my first term, we're going to have close to 300, maybe over 300 new federal judges, including Court of Appeal, two Supreme Court justices."
FACT CHECK: It is true that the Republican-controlled Senate has confirmed a large number of judicial nominations in Trump's first term, but 300 is an exaggeration.
Two-hundred and ten of Trump's judicial nominees, including 2 Supreme Court justices, over 50 circuit court judges, and over 150 district court judges, have been confirmed to date.
There are currently 74 judicial vacancies, with 48 nominations pending.
Judicial nominations require Senate confirmation, so it is highly unlikely that all vacancies would be filled before the conclusion of Trump's first term.
This article will be updated as the town hall continues


Above is from:  https://abc7chicago.com/politics/fact-checking-president-trumps-televised-town-hall/6424887/