Vice President Mike Pence says the media is stirring up “panic” about a second wave of the coronavirus, and argues that the U.S. is “winning the fight against the invisible enemy.”
In recent days, 22 states have reported in an increase in the number of new coronavirus cases which led to fears of a resurgence of the virus and sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average into a nosedive.
“In recent days, the media has taken to sounding the alarm bells over a ‘second wave’ of coronavirus infections. Such panic is overblown,” Pence wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday afternoon.
He continued, “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and the courage and compassion of the American people, our public health system is far stronger than it was four months ago, and we are winning the fight against the invisible enemy.”
“While talk of an increase in cases dominates cable news coverage, more than half of states are actually seeing cases decline or remain stable,” he added.
While six states have seen a daily increase of more than 1,000 cases, Pence said that the country’s improved testing capacity has allowed officials to isolate and contain infected individuals.
Additionally, he touted the increased supply of medical equipment needed to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
“The media has tried to scare the American people every step of the way, and these grim predictions of a second wave are no different. The truth is, whatever the media says, our whole-of-America approach has been a success,” Pence said.
He added, “We’ve slowed the spread, we’ve cared for the most vulnerable, we’ve saved lives, and we’ve created a solid foundation for whatever challenges we may face in the future. That’s a cause for celebration, not the media’s fear-mongering.”
Pence’s comments come as the latest data finds that there are more than 2 million cases of the virus in the U.S. and over 116,000 coronavirus deaths. And in recent days, several states have hit new records in the number of new daily cases.
The rise in cases comes roughly two months after the White House coronavirus task force held its last press briefing.
Additionally, Dr. Anthony Fauci, a task force member, revealed on Tuesday that he last spoke to President Donald Trump two weeks ago, as IJR reported.
Fauci said it is possible to prevent a second wave of the virus if “we do what we need to do to prevent it from happening.”