August 5 coronavirus news

Republican Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois announced today he has tested positive for Covid-19.

“This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. Since the beginning of this pandemic, I have taken my temperature twice daily because serving in Congress means I interact with many people, and it’s my duty to protect the health of those I serve. This morning, my temperature clocked in at 99 degrees Fahrenheit, which is higher than normal for me," he said in a statement.

He added, “Having consulted with the Office of the Attending Physician (OAP) of Congress and local county health officials, our office is contacting constituents I have met with in-person within the previous 48 hours, per CDC guidelines.”

His statement continued, “My staff and I take COVID-19 very seriously. My wife is a nurse and a cancer survivor, which puts her in an at-risk category like so many Americans. My office and I have always followed and will continue to follow CDC guidelines, use social distancing, and wear masks or face coverings when social distancing cannot be maintained.

I will postpone public events our office has planned for the coming days until I receive a negative test. I will continue to serve my constituents virtually from home while I quarantine. Our district offices throughout central and southwestern Illinois remain open for constituents as well. During these challenging times, protecting the public health is my highest priority. If you’re out in public, use social distancing, and when you can’t social distance, please wear a mask. All of us must do our part. That’s what it will take to get through this pandemic.”

CNN's Manu Raju noted that Davis has been wearing a mask on the Hill.

The world is not going to be able to eradicate the coronavirus, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said Wednesday in an interview with Reuters.

A vaccine can help get the pandemic under control, Fauci added.

After next year, the virus should be manageable, Fauci predicted.

“I hope and feel it's possible that by the time we get through 2021 and go around for another cycle that we'll have this under control,” he said. “Is it conceivable that we won't? Of course. I would be unrealistic to say that. Do I think we're going to have much, much better control one full year from this winter? I think so.”

Asked if lawmakers will have a stimulus deal soon, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said tonight, "I hope so."

The senior senator from Kentucky also acknowledged "we are a long way apart" while adding that the "American people need an outcome, it can only be done on a bipartisan basis."

McConnell responded to criticism from Democrats that he is not involved in the direct negotiations.

McConnell acknowledged that "15 to 20" of his members feel they already have spent enough to address the crisis.

"The only thing that gets an outcome is the speaker and the President of the United States reaching an agreement. Once they do that, I believe the majority of my members will support it, but not every single one of them," he said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he hasn’t seen any indication of pressure from the White House to rush a coronavirus vaccine out before the Nov. 3 election.

Fauci noted that there’s a data and safety monitoring board that oversees the vaccine trials. He said timing will only be determined by the information coming from the trials.

“We have assurances, and I've discussed this with the regulatory authorities, that they promised that they are not going to let political considerations interfere with a regulatory decision because we've spoken explicitly about that, because the subject obviously comes up and the people in charge of the regulatory process assures that safety and efficacy is going to be the prime consideration,” Fauci added.

Some context: As of Aug. 5, there are 26 vaccines in human trials around the world, including four in the US.

Separately, US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in a Washington Post commentary that his agency would not cut corners in approving a vaccine.

Gov. Jay Inslee said it is not safe for most students in Washington state to return to in-person learning this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Laying out the state’s recommendations for in-person instruction during a news conference Wednesday, Inslee said the rate of transmission is still too high in the state. 

“Where Covid-19 infection rates are high in a given area, we are strongly recommending that school districts move mostly online, or remote learning modes,” he said. 

More details: The governor noted that some flexibility for schools remains and the recommendations are not legally binding “but they are strong recommendations and they're based on science."

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows this afternoon defended President Trump’s remarks that children are “almost” or “virtually immune” to coronavirus.

"I don't think he’s giving a false sense of security at all," Meadows responded after CNN's Wolf Blitzer pointed out that the statement the President made this morning on Fox New was "not true at all."

Meadows went on to argue that the common flu represents a greater threat to the health of children than coronavirus, adding that "parents need to understand that because we all want to make sure we protect our kids."

Blitzer pushed back, asking "but you agree that when the President says kids are virtually immune, they are not virtually immune. They're potentially in real danger?"

Meadows did not agree, but said the administration was focused on protecting children, even while pushing to reopen schools amid a deepening pandemic.

"As a parent, I care about my kids as your viewers right now, they're thinking about their kids... we do need to make sure they are protected and yet, at the same time, we're taking every step that we can to do that and make sure that we open our schools responsibly and safely," he said. 

Facts First: While children are, on the whole, less likely to get seriously ill or die from the coronavirus than adults are, they are certainly not "immune;" children get infected, transmit the virus, and do sometimes get seriously ill or die.

Meadows comments came after Facebook on Wednesday said it had removed a post from Trump's page which contained a clip of him making the false claim on Fox News. 

"This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from Covid-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful Covid misinformation," Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement Wednesday evening.

While this is not the first time Facebook has removed content from the President's page, it is the first time a removal has been due to its Covid-19 misinformation rules, Facebook said.

Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert provided an update on how he's feeling since contracting Covid-19.

When asked if he’s taking a combination of hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin and zinc, which he had previously said he planned to take, Gohmert said, “Yep,” adding, “It’s all been extremely helpful. The only residual thing is I’m a little raspy, my voice is a little raspier.

Some context: The Food and Drug Administration has concluded hydroxychloroquine is not helpful and might harm patients; National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the World Healh Organization have stopped hydroxychloroquine trials because of all the evidence it doesn’t help coronavirus patients.

The administration’s own top health experts – Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Deborah Birx and Adm. Brett Giroir – have all stated unequivocally and repeatedly that hydroxychloroquine is not beneficial. 

President Trump expressed his support for Republican-backed payroll assistance to keep airlines operating on Wednesday.

"I think it’s very important we keep the airlines going,” he continued, later adding, “If they’re looking at that, whether they’re Republican or Democrat, I’d be certainly in favor. We can’t lose our transportation system.”

Facebook has removed a post from President Trump's page for containing false claims about Covid-19. 

The post was a video of an interview the President gave to Fox News on Wednesday morning.

Stone added the specific comments that had run afoul of Facebook's rules were Trump's false claims about children being almost immune to the virus.