False: Coronavirus infection is harmless for 99 percent of those people who get it.

By: Devika Kandelwal
July 6 2020

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The WHO has stated 20 percent of all COVID-19 cases get sick to the point where they need oxygen or hospital care. This proves the claim is baseless.U.S. President Donald Trump recently claimed that 99 percent of COVID-19 cases are harmless. However, this claim is baseless. The World Health Organization has reported that 20 percent of those diagnosed with COVID-19 eventually progress to severe diseases, including pneumonia and respiratory failure needing urgent medical attention. Many people with mild or no symptoms can spread the virus to others who are more vulnerable and have underlying problems. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) has estimated that 35 percent of cases are asymptomatic, but they can spread it to other people. The Food and Drug Administration's(FDA) commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn, was asked about Trump's claim by CNN. He declined to defend the President's claim that 99 percent of coronavirus cases are 'totally harmless' and urged everyone to follow the White House and CDC's task force guidelines, observe social distancing, and wear masks. According to Johns Hopkins University's tally on July 6, 2020, more than 2.8 million cases of coronavirus have been reported in the United States, and at least 129,000 people have died.