U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters throughout a information convention within the Brady Press Briefing Room on the White Home in Washington, September 10, 2020.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Thursday inspired universities and schools that reopened their campuses this fall to proceed holding lessons in particular person regardless of rising coronavirus circumstances, claiming schools pose a decrease danger to college students than sending them again dwelling.
“It is a lot safer for college students to dwell on campus,” Trump stated throughout a press briefing on the White Home. “Moderately than the choice, the choice is not any good … going dwelling, spreading the virus to high-risk People.” He stated college students need to be at school and their dad and mom need them there as effectively.
Trump stated his administration has reviewed information from greater than 20 schools, and “not a single scholar” who examined optimistic for the virus has been hospitalized. He introduced a slide on the briefing titled “schools and universities are extraordinarily low-risk environments” that listed quite a few universities with 1000’s of reported Covid-19 circumstances however no reported hospitalizations.
“That is lots of people, that is plenty of college students, and never one has been hospitalized,” Trump stated.
There have been stories of faculty college students hospitalized from Covid-19 problems, nevertheless the quantity stays low in comparison with circumstances. San Diego County Public Well being officers introduced on Wednesday {that a} San Diego State College scholar had been hospitalized on account of Covid-19, based on NBC 7 in San Diego.
In Kansas, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly stated in late August that one of many state’s faculty college students had additionally been hospitalized with problems from Covid-19, based on stories from 41 KSHB in Kansas City, an NBC-affiliate. Kelly stated the scholar was believed to have a multisystem inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-C, a uncommon situation seen amongst some individuals who have examined optimistic for Covid-19.
A spokesperson for the White Home wasn’t instantly accessible for remark relating to Trump’s statements.
The president additionally stated he is “pushing” for Large Ten soccer to return after it postponed its season in August after a string of Covid-19 circumstances and concern of a second wave within the fall. Faculties within the convention are principally positioned within the Midwest, the place some states have seen a current spike in circumstances.
“It could be an excellent factor for our nation and the gamers and coaches need to do it actually badly,” Trump stated on the White Home. “They’ve a number of the finest gamers, faculty gamers in our nation and so they need to get into the NFL and so they need to earn money within the NFL. They usually’re not going to have the ability to try this too straightforward if you aren’t getting to see them play.”
Trump has beforehand pushed for schools and universities to reopen amid a string of outbreaks at establishments throughout the U.S. On August 19, Trump stated that “there’s nothing like being with a trainer versus being on a pc board” and stated that the choice to shut universities may “price lives,” saying that younger folks may unfold the coroanvirus to older People.
The coronavirus is way extra lethal for older folks and people with underlying situations. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in June that hospitalization price for individuals who take a look at optimistic for the coronavirus of their 20s is below 4%.
Nonetheless, many infectious illness consultants and college officers have nonetheless proven concern as a result of the virus may unfold to neighboring communities and infect people who find themselves at larger danger.
