President: Next 30 days vital in fight against coronavirus

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(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump on Monday said the next 30 days will be vital in the country’s fight against COVID-19 while also announcing the U.S. has tested more than a million Americans for the disease.

“Our future is in our own hands and the choices and sacrifices we make will determine the fate of this virus…” Trump said, reaffirming his announcement Sunday that he was extending distancing and other guidelines through April 30 to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. “Challenging times are ahead for the next 30 days, and this is a vital 30 days.”

Trump said every American “has a role to play in winning this war. Every citizen, family and business can make the difference in stopping the virus.”

More than 160,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the U.S. as of Monday afternoon and more than 3,000 have died.

More than a million Americans have been tested, Trump said at Monday’s press briefing. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar confirmed the number of tests.

Trump also said Monday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a machine that can disinfect N95 masks so they can be reused by health care workers. Health care officials from across the country have expressed concerns about the amount of available personal protection equipment, including masks, as the number of those diagnosed with the disease surge.

“Each machine now can disinfect 120,000 masks per day,” Trump said. “Now, think of that. Each machine can disinfect 120,000 masks per day. It will be just like a new one. It can go up to about 20 times for each mask.”

 

​Dan McCaleb is the executive editor of The Center Square. He welcomes your comments. Contact Dan at [email protected].

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