inspiring canadians to live better.

healthing leaf

inspiring canadians to live better.

healthing leaf
mosquito-borne diseases affect up to 700 million people each year. learn more
powered by: valneva canada inc.
home / diseases & conditions / coronavirus

biden vs. trump: masks, vaccines and mistakes

trump said he's 'good' with masks, but spreads misinformation during town hall

by diana duong

oct 16 2020
read time 2 minute read
join the conversation
biden vs. trump: what both said about covid-19 at the town halls
us president donald trump and democratic presidential candidate and former us vice president joe biden speak at their respective town halls on october 15, 2020. photo by brendan smialowski,jim watson/afp via getty images
instead of the originally planned second debate, u.s. president donald trump and democratic nominee and former vice president joe biden both spoke at televised town halls happening on the same night. while the competing times made it difficult for viewers to contrast and compare, one thing was clear — it was easier to hear what they were saying while isolated from each other.
here’s what they said about covid-19 and where they stood on public policy.

biden pro-masks and vaccine

at the national constitution center in philadelphia, democratic nominee joe biden said that while he would like to make masks and the covid-19 vaccine mandatory, he conceded that it would be impractical.
“you couldn’t, that’s the problem,” said biden. “you can’t say, ‘everyone has to do this.’”
instead, he said he would urge governors, mayors and county officials to tell their constituents to wear masks and take the vaccine. biden said he would take a vaccine if scientists agree it is ready.
“if the body of scientists say that this is what is ready to be done and it’s been tested, they’ve gone through the three phases, yes, i would take it, and i’d encourage people to take it.”

trump said he’s ‘good’ with masks, but falsely cited a study

related stories

how to talk politics without going into a rage
a psychology professor offers tips on how to stay cool when conversations get hot.
us president donald trump and democratic presidential candidate and former us vice president joe biden speak at their respective town halls on october 15, 2020.

all eyes on pence: is pink eye a sign of covid-19?
we were captivated by the fly. but then we saw his eye.
u.s. vice president mike pence speaks during the vice presidential campaign debate with democratic vice presidential nominee senator kamala harris held on the campus of the university of utah in salt lake city, utah, u.s., october 7, 2020.

advertisement

during the nbc town hall at the perez art museum in miami, u.s. president donald trump was asked about his experience with covid-19 and whether it changed his opinion on masks.

trump said, “i’m all for it,” but continued to say he did not agree with the science that has shown widespread mask-wearing could substantially reduce u.s. deaths. he cited his covid-19 adviser scott atlas — whom he called “ scott atkins ” — who has controversially pushed for  herd immunity .

trump also falsely cited a study on mask use at the town hall, saying that 85 per cent of americans who wear masks have contracted covid-19.
“look at all the masks. you know, they keep saying, ‘nobody wears a mask, wear the mask.’ although then they come out with things today. did you see cdc? that 85 per cent of the people wearing a mask catch it, ok?” said trump earlier that day during a rally in greenville, north carolina.

what the study, published in a cdc morbidity and mortality weekly report , actually found was that 85 per cent of 154 covid-19 patients surveyed reported they had worn a mask often, or always, around the time they would have become infected. but exposure varied. most participants reported shopping or living in a home with multiple people, but they were twice as likely to have eaten at a restaurant, where masks are set aside for the meal, than were uninfected people in a control group.

advertisement

dduong@postmedia.com  |  @dianaduo
don’t miss the latest on covid-19, reopening and life. subscribe to healthing’s daily newsletter  covid life.

comments

postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. we ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. we have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. visit our community guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

you may also like
nurse wearing face mask does checkup of patient's vitals, checking heart rate computer, intravenous or iv fluids drip bag. caring nurse monitors person recovery
opinion: we can learn from covid-19 pandemic to tackle cancer
vintage drawing of a pharmacist and customer
flu and covid vaccines, yes. but don't ask an ontario pharmacist for an rsv vaccine
3d illustration concept of human circulatory system, heart anatomy, x-ray model of a heart pumping blood, the heart's ability to pump blood can be severely restricted after developing myocarditis form covid-19
covid-19 and myocarditis: was it a false alarm?
hospital doctors caring for covid patient
covid-19 infection linked to the development of irritable bowel syndrome
despairing senior man
encephalitis linked to depression and suicide
you may also like
nurse wearing face mask does checkup of patient's vitals, checking heart rate computer, intravenous or iv fluids drip bag. caring nurse monitors person recovery
opinion: we can learn from covid-19 pandemic to tackle cancer
vintage drawing of a pharmacist and customer
flu and covid vaccines, yes. but don't ask an ontario pharmacist for an rsv vaccine
3d illustration concept of human circulatory system, heart anatomy, x-ray model of a heart pumping blood, the heart's ability to pump blood can be severely restricted after developing myocarditis form covid-19
covid-19 and myocarditis: was it a false alarm?
hospital doctors caring for covid patient
covid-19 infection linked to the development of irritable bowel syndrome
you may also like
nurse wearing face mask does checkup of patient's vitals, checking heart rate computer, intravenous or iv fluids drip bag. caring nurse monitors person recovery
opinion: we can learn from covid-19 pandemic to tackle cancer
vintage drawing of a pharmacist and customer
flu and covid vaccines, yes. but don't ask an ontario pharmacist for an rsv vaccine