WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said that his daily coronavirus press briefings are not worth his “time and effort” as the “lamestream” media asks nothing but “hostile” questions, days after he faced intense rebuke for suggesting the possibility of treating COVID-19 patients by UV light or disinfectant injections.
Trump faced scathing criticism on Thursday for his outlandish suggestion, with health experts urging people not to listen to the President’s “dangerous” advice. After more than a month of daily coronavirus press briefings, Trump stayed behind closed doors on Saturday, hinting that he was considering halting the White House briefings. Trump took to Twitter about 45 minutes later, addressing the topic of his briefings.
“What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately,” the president tweeted.
“They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not worth the time & effort!” he said.
Beginning in March, Trump and Vice President Pence have given almost 50 daily press briefings to update the country on the administration’s ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 53,000 people in the US. (PTI)
Now tests in NY pharmacies too
NEW YORK: New York, the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, will allow pharmacies to carry out tests for the virus, said Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo announced on Saturday that antibody screenings would be expanded at four hospitals, beginning with frontline medical workers, the BBC reported.
He also said independent pharmacies would be allowed to collect samples for diagnostic tests.
It is part of a drive to find out how widely the virus has spread across the state of 20 million people. “Twenty-one days of hell, and now we are back to where we were 21 days ago,” he said. “Testing is what we are compulsively or obsessively focused on now.” (IANS)
