Biden: Trump has 'botched' the Covid-19 response badly

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks on the state of the US economy on September 4, in Wilmington, Delaware. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden slammed President Trump's Covid-19 response, calling it "botched" and criticizing the President for not acting sooner.

"We all know it didn't have to be this bad. It didn't have to be this bad to begin with if the President just did his job. If he just took the virus seriously early on in January and February as it spread around the globe," Biden continued.

The former vice president called on Trump to set an example for the American people by following Covid-19 guidelines as right now, he said, it seems like the President "doesn't care."

"If he just set a good example like social distancing and wearing a mask. That's not too much to ask. It is almost like he doesn't care. It doesn't affect him because it doesn't effect him or his class of friends."

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Over the next three weeks I'll be laying out the sharp contrast my plan has with the president's non plans.

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Source: Pool

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said that while the US added 1.4 million jobs in August, there is still "cause for concern" in the US jobs market.

"I'm grateful for everyone who found work again, and found a glimmer of hope that brings them back from the edge, but there is real cause for concern as well," Biden said.

The August jobs report marks slowdown from earlier this summer: Employers added a revised 1.7 million jobs in July and 4.8 million jobs in June.

Biden attacked President Trump while discussing the jobs report.

"The report reinforces the worst fears and painful truths. The economic inequities that began before the downturn have only worsened under this failed presidency," he added later on his remarks.

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There have been at least 6,164,267 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 187,052 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases.

So far on Friday, Johns Hopkins has reported 14,251 new cases and 262 reported deaths.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

People stand in a queue as they wait for a PCR test for the novel coronavirus at a medical laboratory in Paris amids the Covid-19 pandemic on September 4. Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images

France reported 8,975 new Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours, the largest daily increase since the outbreak began in France. 

The new infections reported by France’s National Health Agency on Friday bring the total number of confirmed cases to at least 309,156. 

Despite the daily increase, the latest data released from the French National Health Agency showed the number of people hospitalized and in intensive care units remains stable. 

Former Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen, a CNN medical analyst, underscored the importance of wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic, as President Trump mocked Joe Biden for wearing one.

More than 410,000 people in the US could die from the coronavirus by Jan. 1, according to a new model from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Near-universal mask wearing could cut the number of projected deaths by more than half, according to the IHME model.

Wen also cautioned Americans to not let their guard down during the Labor Day weekend. 

“It’s important to mention that we're at a much worse place now than we were back [on] the Fourth of July and back during Memorial Day because we have much more virus in the community. So we really need to do our part and prevent infections and save lives now,” she said. 

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Speaking from the Oval Office, President Trump praised vaccine development efforts and his administration's response to Covid-19. The President told reporters he thinks the public will hear some "very good news" on vaccines.

Trump said he's spoken to the chief of drug-maker Pfizer as the company claims it's on track to provide data about its vaccine trial by next month.

Trump said he'd spoken with Pfizer on Friday. A day earlier, the company's CEO said it should have enough data to know if its product works by the end of October.

"As far as we’re concerned they’re very close to announcing some very big news," Trump said later. "The vaccines are going to come out soon and the therapeutics are continuing."

Along with Pfizer, Trump said he has spoken with the heads of Johnson and Johnson and Moderna, which are also working on a coronavirus vaccine.

"We have tremendous talent, some tremendous scientists, and they're right there," he said.

British drugmaker AstraZeneca said Monday it has started phase three trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine in the United States, becoming the third company to start late-stage trials of a vaccine to prevent Covid-19.

CNN reported on Thursday that Trump has cranked up pressure on administration health officials to expedite work both on a coronavirus vaccine and on treatments that might signal to voters there is an end in sight to the life-altering pandemic that has imperiled his reelection prospects.

With regards to the jobs report released this morning that showed employers added 1.4 million jobs in August, the President said he believes the country will see "tremendous growth in the very near future."

Trump's rival Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is set to deliver remarks soon from Delaware on the economy and Covid-19.

A health worker does a PCR test on a patient at Ficoba exhibition site, where mass coronavirus tests are being carried out on September 3, 2020 in Irun, Spain. Gari Garaialde/Getty Images

Authorities in Spain have reported 10,476 new Covid-19 cases on Friday as the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to grow in the country.

Of the more than 10,000 new infections, 4,503 were diagnosed in the past 24 hours — the highest daily number in since early early May.

At least 498,989 people have been infected with coronavirus in Spain since the virus reached the Iberian country.

Nearly a third of infections diagnosed in the past day were discovered in the capital Madrid (1,462). The Basque Country (678) and the Canary Islands (363) were the two other Spanish regions with the highest daily increase.

Spanish authorities also reported 186 new deaths from Covid-19 — the highest daily increase since May 26.

A total of 29,234 people have died from the novel coronavirus in Spain since the outbreak started.

The World Health Organization said it is clear: Covid-19 deaths are likely undercounted at this time.

“That's extremely important,” Aylward added. “Some of that excess mortality is probably Covid disease that was not recognized or reported.” 

Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO infectious disease epidemiologist, said it’s still too early to make absolute conclusions, “but I think it is important to recognize that deaths from Covid are likely to be undercounted at the present time.”

Van Kerkhove said there are deaths “that we know are associated with Covid-19 from infection and are tracked in real time, as they occur.” And then then are deaths that will be “identified as we retrospectively look [back],” she said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wearing a protective mask attends during the daily media briefing at the Office of the Governor of the State of New York on July 23 in New York. Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

The Covid-19 infection rate in New York state remains below 1% for the fourth straight week, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.

On Thursday, the rate was .92%. The governor tweeted on Friday that there were more than 93,000 tested performed Thursday.

Additionally, Cuomo tweeted there were five more deaths yesterday and 428 people remain hospitalized.

The numbers come as the state has authorized malls in New York City to reopen next week along with casinos across the state. Both will have restrictions on capacity.

Note: These numbers were released by the state’s public health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.