Infectious Donald Trump back to White House, says not to fear COVID-19

Donald Trump takes off his face mask as he arrives at the White House upon his return from Walter Reed Medical Centre, on Monday. Pic/AFP

President Donald Trump staged a dramatic return to the White House after leaving the military hospital where he was receiving an unprecedented level of care for COVID-19. He immediately ignited a new controversy by declaring that despite his illness the nation should not fear the virus that has killed more than 2,10,000 Americans - and then he entered the White House without a protective mask.

Pandemic survivors are angry at Trump's carelessness. Scott Sedlacek was among the first people to be treated for COVID-19 at Seattle's Swedish Medical Centre. Hearing of Trump's advice by Tweet and video on Monday not to fear the disease enraged him. "I'm so glad that he appears to be doing well, that he has doctors who can give him experimental drugs that aren't available to the masses. For the rest of us, who are trying to protect ourselves, that behaviour is an embarrassment."

Marc Papaj, a Seneca Nation member in New York, lost his mother, grandmother and aunt to COVID-19. He was finding it tough to follow Trump's advise not to let the virus "dominate your life." "The loss of my dearest family members will forever dominate my life in every way for all of my days," Papaj said, adding this about Trump: "He does not care about any of us - he's feeling good."

Trump's message alarmed infectious disease experts and suggested the president's own illness had not caused him to rethink his often-cavalier attitude toward the disease. Landing on Monday night at the White House on Marine One, Trump gingerly climbed the South Portico steps, removed his mask and declared, "I feel good."

Italy may make masks mandatory outdoors

Italy's health minister says the government is examining a proposal to make masks mandatory outdoors and limit gatherings as the country enters a difficult phase of living alongside COVID-19, with cases growing steadily for the past nine weeks. The new measures are expected to be passed by Wednesday.

Pak fear 2nd wave as winter nears

Pakistan's number of patients recovering from the coronavirus crossed 3,00,616, officials said on Tuesday, amid simmering fear that a second wave coupled with winter season could reverse the gains against the pandemic. The country has reported 3,15,727 cases, including 467 new ones. At least six people died in the past one day, taking the death toll to 6,523.

WH nixes tough FDA norms on vaccine

The White House has blocked new Food and Drug Administration guidelines on bringing potential COVID-19 vaccines to market that would almost certainly have prevented their approval before the Nov 3 election. At issue was the FDA's planned requirement that participants in the ongoing mass clinical trials be followed for two months to ensure there are no side effects and that the vaccines provide lasting protection from the virus in order to receive emergency nod. A senior administration said the White House believed there was "no clinical or medical reason" to add additional screening protocols.

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