Coronavirus spreads. But don't panic! (topical thread)

[SYZ]

Is Trump really to blame at this point?

Yes.  Absolutely.

The goal of this analysis is to estimate the proportion of COVID-19 deaths attributable
to President Donald Trump’s early pronouncements about voluntary mask use and his
intention not to use masks. Data from available research were used to estimate parameters
for the calculation of population attributable risk for COVID-19 deaths reported to date.
Assuming Trump’s pronouncement to have caused 25%, 50%, and 75% of the non-use
of masks, estimates of Trump-attributable COVID-19 deaths to date would be, respectively,
4,244, 8,356, or 12,202. The effects of presidential pronouncements on health-related
matters may have large public health consequences.



—Dr Robert A. Hahn, International Journal of Health Services, PMID: 32967538, 23 September.