CDC director contradicts Trump: 90% of Americans 'still susceptible' to coronavirus

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield testified on Wednesday that “more than 90% of the population” in the United States is “still susceptible” to the COVID-19 virus.

Redfield cited an ongoing study across the country, which he said he expects to be published soon.

His comments are in stark contrast to those of Donald Trump, who has continued to push for the country to reopen despite the rising death toll of the virus, which has claimed over 200,000 lives.

In response to reports that the United Kingdom is shutting down due to rising infection rates there, Trump told a local television station on Tuesday, “We’re not going to be doing that.”

Trump also told rally attendees on Monday that “virtually nobody” has been affected by the virus. His senior economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, also recently told reporters, “We’ve regained control of the virus.”

From a Sept. 23 hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions:

SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R-TN): Dr. Redfield, the British ambassador told me yesterday that government studies in the United Kingdom said that based on serology testing that 5 to 25% of their country’s population, depending on the location, has been exposed to COVID-19.

 

What does — what about the American population? How many of us have been infected by COVID-19?

 

ROBERT REDFIELD: Thank you Mr. Chairman. CDC’s in the process of a very large sequential study across the entire United States, measuring serology, as I mentioned the preliminary results in the first round show that a majority of our nation, more than 90% of the population remains susceptible.

 

It varies in different geographic parts, from states that have less than 1% with evidence of previous infections, to some that have more than 15, 20, and one is as high as 24%. We’ll have that finalized and probably published in the next week or so, but it does show that a majority of Americans are still susceptible to this virus.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.