COVID-19: Trump hails 'light at end of the tunnel' as US enters deadliest week

The US Surgeon General warned that this week would be the “hardest and saddest”

US President Donald Trump speaks during an unscheduled briefing after a Coronavirus Task Force meeting at the White House on Sunday | AFP US President Donald Trump speaks during an unscheduled briefing after a Coronavirus Task Force meeting at the White House on Sunday | AFP

US President Donald Trump issued two short and capitalised tweets on Monday, as the US entered a week that Surgeon General Jerome Adams said would be the “hardest and saddest” for most Americans lives. “USA STRONG!” and “LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL”, tweeted President Trump, without explaining why he felt so.

He then shared a tweet highlighting the slowdown in the number of new cases reported in the US as well as in countries like Italy, Spain and Iran. On April 5, the US reported over 25,000 new cases, down from the record 34,000 cases registered the day before.

On Sunday, Trump said the US would endure the peak of the pandemic in the days ahead. The US Surgeon General likened the coming days to the Pearl Harbour attack. “This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment,” he said to NBC.

Then, the number of new infections and deaths in New York—the epicentre in the US—dropped for the first time. New York state registered the first drop in deaths, at 594 on Sunday, as cases rose by 4,245.

Trump has been touting an anti-malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, as a “game changer” against the virus, with his endorsement driving a rising demand for the drug around the world—despite insufficient clinical data proving its effectiveness and safety.

Trump on Sunday urged India to export more of the product to the US. However, on Sunday, after Trump got on the phone with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to request for more, India announced greater curbs on the export of hydoxychloroquine.

While it was not initially known whether the enhanced regulations would affect sales to the US, a Bloomberg Intelligence report says they would stop at least half of the overall supply to the US, as 47per cent of US supply came from India makers, further restricting the ability of Indian companies to export it on top of existing curbs on its export. Whether India will deliver the drugs to the US via a Government To Government (G2G) deal, however, remains to be seen.

The world added 71,000 cases on Sunday, with the US on top followed by Spain, Italy and Germany. The total number of COVID-19 cases neared 1.3 million worldwide on Monday, with over 70,000 deaths.