By Chathushka Perera
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE (CWBN)_ The final Presidential Debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic Challenger Joe Biden prior to the November 3 election took place Thursday night at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, saw a modicum of order that was in place following the Presidential Debates Commission’s moves to reform debate proceedings following the disastrous primary debate.
Trump’s mishandling of the Covid epidemic took centre stage early on. Trump stated that projections that were made over the course of the pandemic indicated that about 2.2 million people were expected to die and despite the fact, his administration was able to reduce the mortality rate by 85%, while Covid-19 clusters in Florida, Texas and Arizona were dealt with.
Trump claimed that a vaccine from one of the major pharmaceuticals manufacturers like Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer are expected to be finalized within the next two weeks, yet went on to revise his statement later in the debate by claiming that the vaccines are expected in early 2021. He added that the US military is ready to deliver up to 100 million vials of the vaccines to the public the moment it is approved.
According to current reports regarding the trials carried out by Pfizer and Moderna Pharmaceuticals, they have continued to produce positive results over the initial months. However it is unclear at this time whether the trials’ data are adequate to subscribe with federal regulatory authorities. Pfizer CEO, Albert Bourla, informed the media that they would be able to assert whether the vaccine “works” by the end of October.
Despite assurances made by drug companies that they will not be cutting corners, J&J trials came to a halt when complications were reported on the 13th. Moreover, medical experts remain sceptical over the side-effects the vaccines may cause following administration, especially in the long term.
Nonetheless, Trump maintained that “Covid is going away”, while government officials have reiterated that the pandemic would reach well into 2022.
Meanwhile his opponent Biden, stressed upon the number of US casualties exceeding 200,000 countrywide and the President’s lack of a strategy to deal with the growing crisis and that Trump’s response to the pandemic has been an “absolute tragedy.” He also noted that the transparency of drug trials have been inadequate and that the exponential growth in the number of infections is unacceptable, respectively insisting on reaching out to drug companies to retain standards and by imposing lockdowns.
Trump responded to his opponent with contempt, particularly with reference to the performance of the Obama-Biden administration during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, claiming that over 700,000 people would have died in the US had H1N1 been as aggressive as Covid-19.
According to the CDC, during the 2009 pandemic it was discovered that some young people presented immunity to the virus while the elderly presented antibody responses from exposure to older forms of the virus. Irrespective of the fact, the CDC estimated about 60.8 million cases in the US alone, including 274,304 hospitalizations and over 12,000 deaths. Although an effective vaccine was produced to counter the spread of the virus, mass quantities of the vaccine remained unavailable for around two and a half months, by which time the second wave of the pandemic had already begun to recede.
Trump further pointed out Biden’s onslaught earlier this year, calling him ‘xenophobic’ over his measures to ban travellers from China during the initial outbreak, after which Biden began to accuse the president for failing to ban travellers in time.
Furthermore, Biden went so far as to directly address the audience saying, “People are learning to die with it (Covid-19). You folks at home would have an empty chair at the kitchen table this morning” and that Trump takes no responsibility for the fact. Trump responded to the accusation saying “It’s not my fault it came here. It’s China’s fault.”
Overall, both candidates appear to be pitching rhetoric aimed at the insecurities of the American people in these contentious times, where unemployment, business losses and health concerns, including those pertaining to mental health and drug use, continue to rise, amid the pandemic.
