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Donald Trump has had his messages flagged for misinformation in the past, but that hasn’t stopped the president from making wild and unusual claims. His latest came during a rally this week in Ohio.
During his speech, Trump claimed that the novel coronavirus COVID-19 — which has changed the way that all of us go about our daily lives — “affects virtually nobody.”
That is very obviously not true; just ask the millions of people who have tested positive in the country.
“Now we know it affects elderly people, elderly people with heart problems and other problems, if they have other problems,” Trump told his supporters. “That’s what it really affects. That’s it. You know, in some states, thousands of people, nobody young. Below the age of 18, like, nobody. They have a strong immune system. Who knows? Take your hat off to the young because they have a hell of an immune system. But it affects virtually nobody. It’s an amazing thing. By the way, open your schools. Everybody, open your schools.”
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The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 6.7 million confirmed cases and 198,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
