President Donald Trump says the coronavirus pandemic is “going away,” and would even disappear without a COVID-19 vaccine, thanks to a “herd mentality.”
That’s entirely false.
“We are going to be okay, we’re going to be okay and it is going away,” Trump said about the coronavirus pandemic that’s taken 200,000 American lives, “and it’s probably going to go away now a lot faster because of the vaccine.”
“It would go away without the vaccine, George, but it’s going to go away a lot faster with go away without the vaccine,” Trump continued, speaking at an ABC News town hall hosted by George Stephanopoulos.
An incredulous Stephanopoulos asked, “it’s going to go away without the vaccine?”
“Sure, over a period of time,” Trump said. “Sure with time it goes away. And you’ll develop, you’ll develop, like a herd-mentality it’s going to be it’s going to be herd-developed and that’s going to happen, that will all happen, but with the vaccine, I think it will go away very quickly But I really believe we’re rounding the corner, and I believe that strongly.”
Trump likely meant herd immunity, which he incorrectly described. Experts say herd immunity will not resolve the coronavirus and we will be dealing with it “forever.”
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