The members of the Coronavirus Task force are set to hold updates and briefings on the federal government’s coronavirus containment efforts at 3:30 p.m. EST. The task force, led by Vice President Mike Pence, can be live streamed and watched through the White House’s official website as well as the YouTube channels of most major broadcast TV networks.
The president’s public schedule shows he will join the members of the Coronavirus Task Force, which includes National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room Saturday afternoon.
The press briefing is expected to address a recent spike in deaths, with more than 1,000 coronavirus-related fatalities occurring between Thursday and Friday alone. According to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, over 62,000 people have died worldwide from COVID-19 as of Saturday.
“I will be holding a News Conference at 3:30 P.M. at the White House. Thank you!” President Trump confirmed Saturday on Twitter.
During Friday’s press conference Trump touted the benefits of the more than $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus passed by Congress and signed by him last week. He stressed that American workers and small businesses are already experiencing financial relief through loan programs and money allocated for furloughed or laid-off workers. More than 10 million U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits in March as a result of the economy severely impacted by the pandemic.
“On day one of the Paycheck Protection Program … more than $3.5 billion in guaranteed loans have been processed,” Trump said during Friday’s White House press briefing. He said private insurers are taking major steps to reduce costs. He noted that hospitals and health care providers which are treating uninsured patients will be reimbursed by the federal government.
“America is engaged in a historic battle to safeguard the lives of our citizens,” the president said Friday. Trump, who is not an official member of the Coronavirus Task Force, has frustrated his critics who frequently accuse the president of using the platform to air grievances about political issues and opponents.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recorded at least 277,205 confirmed positive cases of coronavirus nationwide as of Friday evening. There have been 6,593 deaths tied to COVID-19 among all 50 U.S. states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Marianas and U.S. Virgin Islands. The CDC began an official count of coronavirus cases and related deaths since January 21, 2020.
Stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders have been issued in all but five states across the country, with only Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Arkansas abstaining from a state-level order to keep people inside their homes.
