President Donald Trump says his press briefings are “not worth the time and effort” as his administration prepares to adjust his public presence.
Tweeting on Saturday, April 25, one of the few days in which he has not held a daily briefing; since the start of the outbreak, Trump said: “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”.
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. They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not worth the time & effort!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2020
The president’s tweet came two days after he used a briefing to muse about the injection of chemical disinfectants, drawing warnings from manufacturers and the nation’s top medical professionals.
Trump promoted the potential value of using ultraviolet light “inside the body” and about injecting disinfectant into patients; leaving his coordinator of the pandemic task force, Dr Deborah Birx, an eminent HIV immunologist, looking on aghast.
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The comments have been mocked and criticised for his comments, which go against all medical advice.
The White House claimed Friday that Trump was misinterpreted; though the president later asserted he was speaking “sarcastically.”
During his media conference on Friday, he walked out before taking any questions from the press after an incredibly short 22-minute briefing.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has made statements and clarified their position on COVID-19 immunity passports and antibody tests.
Prof Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine, UEA, said:
“There may be particular issues in very immune-suppressed people such as people who have had liver or kidney transplants.
“What we do not know is how long that immunity will last. It almost certainly will not last for life.
“Based on antibody studies in SARS it is possible that immunity will only last about 1 to 2 years; though this is not yet known for certain and we do not know how good blood antibody levels are in predicting immunity for COVID-19.
“However, immunity to an infectious virus is not necessarily all or nothing. It is possible that people who do get an early re-infection will have a less severe illness than their primary infection; because of some residual immunity even when that is not sufficient to prevent re-infection.”
