Washington, April 6 (RHC)-- In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised all Americans to wear nonmedical face masks when out in public.  President Donald Trump, however, said he would forego the recommendation, saying: “Somehow I don’t see it for myself.” 

Trump also once again urged Americans to take the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 symptoms, despite medical experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, warning there is still insufficient evidence for its effectiveness in treating the virus.

Trump said: “That’s hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin.  And again, you have to go through your medical people, get the approval.  But I’ve seen things that I sort of like.  So, what do I know?  I’m not a doctor.  I’m not a doctor, but I have common sense.”

Over the weekend, The Los Angeles Times reported that the Trump administration ended a pandemic early-warning program in China just two months before COVID-19 started spreading in Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic.  The program trained and supported researchers in labs around the world, including the Wuhan lab that identified the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.  After funding was cut in September of last year, dozens of scientists and analysts were fired.