More than 130 Secret Service agents who protect President Donald Trump, the White House and the first family have been ordered to isolate because they caught COVID or were in close contact with someone who was infected with the virus.

The spread of the highly contagious disease has sidelined about 10 per cent of the agency's core team, The Washington Post reported, and the infection rate is believed to be linked to the numerous campaign rallies Trump held before the election - 14 in the last three days of campaigning alone.

At these rallies, agents stand between the president and his supporters, many of whom are not wearing face masks and who don't practice social distancing. While Trump stands on a stage above and away from the crowd, several agents stand in the pit between the stage area and supporters. They also fan out to work the perimeter.

President Trump has begun speaking at the White House, giving an update on Operation Warp Speed - the plan to create, make and distribute Covid-19 vaccines and treatments.

Trump starts by praising the success of Operation Warp Speed. "Operation Warp Speed is unequalled and unrivaled anywhere in the world," he said. "It’s been an incredible effort."No medical breakthrough of this scope or magnitude has ever been achieved this rapidly," he said, giving credit for the development of the drug giant Pfizer vaccine to his administration. He would authorise the vaccine for emergency use, Trump said.

Speaking about the coronavirus response, Trump said: "This administration will not be going to a lockdown."

Trump and his team wrapped up the coronavirus briefing, with the president leaving the podium without responding to any questions shouted by reporters.

Following Texas, California became the second US state to hit 1,000,000 Covid cases as regions across the country face growing outbreaks.

The US reported another record high of 153,496 new infections on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University, as well as 919 deaths.

Daily cases have topped 100,000 for the last 10 days and over 67,000 people are currently in hospital.

Trump said: "This administration will not be going to a lockdown."

The US states of Oregon and New Mexico have announced strict measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 as the country faces growing outbreaks of the disease.

Officials have ordered most non-essential businesses to close and urged people to limit their social interactions.

Data shows that the majority of the country has rising "community spread" of the virus - situations where people get the virus without any known contact with a sick person.

In recent weeks, the Midwestern US has been the centre of the outbreaks, with cases rising in states like Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois.

According to Johns Hopkins University, 184,514 new cases were recorded on Friday, up from 153,496 on Thursday. More than 10.7 million cases have been recorded in total and more than 244,000 people have died. Deaths are also increasing: 1,431 were reported on Friday, the highest toll in 10 days if more than a thousand less than the highest such toll, from April.

At the White House, in his first remarks since losing the election to Biden, Trump said he expected a vaccine developed by Pfizer to receive emergency use authorisation “extremely soon”, and to be available to the general population by April.

He also said the federal government would not deliver the vaccine to New York, because its governor, Andrew Cuomo, “doesn’t trust where the vaccine is coming from”. Trump and Cuomo have clashed frequently during the pandemic.

Cuomo told MSNBC: “None of what he said is true, surprise surprise. We’re all excited about the possibilities about a vaccine.”

Trump also took a shot at Pfizer, saying its statement that it was not part of Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine effort, was “an unfortunate misrepresentation” *. Pfizer did not receive support for research or manufacturing of the vaccine, but has agreed to sell its vaccine to the federal government. A spokeswoman said the company was proud to be part of Operation Warp Speed “as a supplier of a potential Covid-19 vaccine”.

US sees record 184,000 new daily Covid cases as Trump politicises vaccine effort

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-vaccine-biden



* The Grump just can't stop lying ......

Mr Trump's supporters were due to kick off the rally about noon local time (17:00G) near Freedom Plaza, just east of the White House.

They are using different names for the event, including Million MAGA March - using the acronym for Mr Trump's Make America Great Again slogan - as well as the March for Trump and Stop the Steal DC.

It is expected to bring more mainstream Trump supporters together with neo-Nazis, far-right militias and conservative commentators, including prominent conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and white nationalist Nicholas Fuentes.

Mr Trump said on Friday he may "try to stop by and say hello". His motorcade passed the gathering demonstrators on Saturday morning and did a circuit of Freedom Plaza, but carried on to his golf club in Sterling, Virginia. It was unclear if he planned to make a further appearance.

Trump’s press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has falsely overestimated the crowds at a Washington DC march in support of the President.

The Washington Post and Sky News reporters on the ground estimate it is more likely a few thousand people attended.

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk says he "most likely" has a "moderate case" of Covid-19 but has been "getting wildly different results from different labs".

The boss of Tesla and SpaceX, who is 49, tweeted his symptoms were those of a "minor cold". On Friday he said he had been tested four times, with two positive and two negative results.

Musk appeared to play down concerns about the pandemic when it first hit. Back in March, Mr Musk had tweeted to his 32 million followers on Twitter: "My guess is that the panic will cause more harm than the virus."

The US recorded 166,555 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, down from more than 184,000 on Friday but still its second-highest daily total and a 12th day in a row above 100,000.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the overall US caseload is now nearly 10,900,000 and more than 245,000 have died. On Saturday, 1,266 people died. Hospitalisations are rising.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious diseases expert, said it was “possible” the country would see 200,000 deaths in the next four months, which would put the toll of the pandemic above 400,000 in slightly more than a year.