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Washington – As coronavirus infections escalate in more than three dozen states, former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb predicted on Sunday that the Thanksgiving holiday would be a “inflection point.” for the pandemic.
“Things are getting worse across the country,” Gottlieb said in an interview with “Face the Nation”. “I think Thanksgiving is really going to be an inflection point. I think December will probably be our toughest month.”
Gottlieb, who headed the FDA under President Trump, said the spread of the virus was accelerating in 23 states, including the Midwest and the Great Lakes region, while 15 states had a positivity rate above 10% . There is an expanding epidemic in all 50 states, he said.
“It’s very disturbing as we head into winter,” Gottlieb said, adding that “as we move into the next two or three weeks, what’s going on in the country will be undeniable. And we’re going to have to. start. take tough action. “
Public health experts and doctors in the Trump administration have warned for weeks that Americans should prepare for a harsh winter, but Mr Trump said the country is “turning the corner.” At a rally in Michigan on Friday, the president claimed without evidence that doctors were taking advantage of deaths from COVID-19.
“You know, our doctors make more money if someone dies from COVID. You know that, right? Mr. Trump alleged. “I mean, our doctors are very smart people. So what they do is they say, ‘I’m sorry, but, you know, everyone is dying of COVID.'”
Gottlieb said it was “troubling” for Mr Trump to suggest that doctors manipulate the data to get higher reimbursements. He noted that the CARES law, which the president enacted in March, provides for more money for COVID pneumonia cases because it is more expensive to treat such patients in hospitals.
“Any doctor who documents COVID pneumonia in a case where the patient does not have pneumonia is fraud,” he said.
When asked where Mr Trump might have heard such a claim, Gottlieb said he was unlikely to have made the allegation on his own.
“Unfortunately, I think there [are] probably advisers telling him that, ”he said.
There have been more than 9.1 million cases of the coronavirus in the United States, and the death toll has exceeded 230,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic also continues, with more than 22 million Americans currently receiving unemployment assistance, according to the Department of Labor.
The White House and House President Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, remain at an impasse over yet another coronavirus relief program. But Gottlieb said it was crucial for Mr. Trump to focus on providing aid to states in his second term, should he win re-election.
“They have to push through a stimulus. They have to provide funds for states to try to deal with this,” he said. “I think we need to focus on what we’re going to prioritize by trying to keep things open and open things up after we’ve been through that, especially schools. We will have to support the states that need to take this targeted action, trying to get compliance for things like masks. So I think the bully’s chair is very important. National leaders are trying to galvanize collective action to try to reduce the spread. “
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