COVID19 Update - Day 85

US Tests: 18,214,950

US Cases: 1,843,315

US Deaths: 101,192

Worldwide Cases: 6,430,705

Worldwide Deaths: 385,873

Any time someone takes an objective look at the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus, the degree of stupidity and incompetence is staggering.  Today, the New York Times presented an in-depth look at the inept CDC response.  A taste:

The moment underscored the challenge for [CDC Director Robert Redfield] and his agency. To combat the virus, he would have to manage the mercurial demands of the president who appointed him and the expectations of the career scientists he leads.

The sensibilities could not be more different. At one point that month, administration officials asked the agency to provide feedback on possible logos — including “Make America Healthy Again” — for cloth face masks they hoped to distribute to millions of Americans. The plan fell through, but not before C.D.C. leaders agreed to the request, according to one person familiar with the discussions.

White House aides saw Dr. Redfield, 68, as an ally, but as the coronavirus crisis intensified, his meandering manner in television appearances and congressional hearings irritated a president drawn to big personalities and assertive defenders of his administration.

A former military virologist who specialized in H.I.V., Dr. Redfield was Mr. Trump’s second choice after his first C.D.C. director resigned. He had no experience leading a government agency — though he had been considered for jobs in previous Republican administrations — and often told associates that he was happiest treating patients in Africa or Haiti.

While everyone's attention is rightly focused on Trump's decision to bring U.S. military force to bear on peacefully protesting civilians, we shouldn't forget that roughly 1,000 Americans a day are dying dur to Trump's corrupt and incompetent handling of the pandemic.