Published 11:39 IST, May 22nd 2020
Joe Biden blames Trump for US Covid deaths; cites report President called a 'hit job'
Biden cited a study by Columbia University which stated that a number of lives could have been saved had strict guidelines been imposed earlier.
Former US Vice President Joe Biden has said that President Donald Trump failed to take action because of which 36,000 people across the country lost their lives.
'Failed to take action'
Biden cited a study by Columbia University which stated that a number of lives could have been saved had strict guidelines been imposed earlier. In a tweet on Thursday evening, the Democratic front runner for the US Presidential elections scheduled to take place in November said that the situation could have been much better had the President taken steps earlier.
As per the research by Columbia University, around 84% of deaths could have been avoided had measures been taken two weeks earlier, and the country had entered lockdown by March 1. However, US President Donald Trump had dismissed the report as a "political hit job".
The study reads, "We find significant reductions of the basic reproductive numbers in major metropolitan areas in association with social distancing and other control measures. Counterfactual simulations indicate that, had these same control measures been implemented just 1-2 weeks earlier, a substantial number of cases and deaths could have been averted. Specifically, nationwide, 61.6% of reported infections and 55.0% of reported deaths as of May 3, 2020 could have been avoided if the same control measures had been implemented just one week earlier."
"A longer response time results in a stronger rebound of infections and death. Our findings underscore the importance of early intervention and aggressive response in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic," the research added.
With more than 1,562,714 cases and 93,863 deaths reported from the Covid-19 outbreak, the US is the most affected country.
Updated 11:39 IST, May 22nd 2020