In a Friday commentary piece for Raw Story , Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, argued that United States governors might be killing people in a bid to help Donald Trump’s re-election campaign.
“A simple test for the governors is to look at their positive test rates for the coronavirus,” he wrote.
“Test rates are a good measure of how serious the governors are in trying to bring the pandemic under control. While they can take measures to limit the actual spread, such as longer and stronger lockdowns and mask requirements, many factors determining the spread are outside their control.”
Per CNN , Trump has notoriously pushed for slowed pandemic testing, noting that more tests mean more coronavirus cases logged in America. Although multiple White House officials claimed that Trump was joking, he later contradicted them and said he was serious.
As noted by Baker, it is largely in the hands of state officials to track and react to positive incidences of the virus, and these efforts can be the difference between life and death for thousands of people. The writer added that with proper diagnosis and tracing, infected individuals can be isolated and the virus’ spread can be curbed.
“It is not hard to imagine that Republican governors would deliberately limit testing so that they find fewer cases,” he opined, pointing to Trump’s previously mentioned push for less testing.
The columnist then highlighted data suggesting that eight of the 10 states with the highest positive COVID-19 rates have Republican governors. On the opposite end of the spectrum, six of the 10 states with the lowest figures have Democratic governors. Although Baker concluded that this contrast does not prove that GOP governors are intentionally stifling tests, he argued that it aligns with this narrative and should be used to press such leaders for answers.
According to Vox , Trump’s comments on increased tests imply that the process makes the U.S. look poorly due to an increased number of registered coronavirus cases. As the publication noted, experts have pushed back against his claims, noting that the incidences — whether they are tracked or not — are leading to sickness, infection, and death.
As The Inquisitr reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance last month that recommended people no longer get tested if they’ve come into contact with individuals who have been infected with COVID-19. However, a subsequent public outcry prompted the CDC to modify the bulletin.
