18 Trump rallies have led to 30K Covid-19 cases,700 deaths, says a study by Stanford University

Washington: A Stanford University study has revealed that 18 re-election campaign rallies of US President Donald Trump have resulted in more than 30,000 coroanvirus cases.the study also estimated that the rallies likely led to more than 700 deaths.

The study titled 'The Effects of Large Group Meetings on the Spread of COVID-19: The Case of Trump Rallies',stressed that the communities where the Trump rallies took place "paid a high price in terms of disease and death."

18 rallies by Trump held between June 20 and September 22 "ultimately resulted in more than 30,000 incremental confirmed cases of COVID-19" and "likely led to more than 700 deaths", which may not necessarily have been among attendees,the researchers concluded

The authors of the study said that the rallies increased subsequent confirmed cases by over 250 infections per 100,000 residents.

"Our analysis strongly supports the warnings and recommendations of public health officials concerning the risk of COVID-19 transmission at large group gatherings, particularly when the degree of compliance with guidelines concerning the use of masks and social distancing is low. The communities in which Trump rallies took place paid a high price in terms of disease and death," the researchers said in the study.

The researchers said Trump rallies have several "distinguishing features" that lend themselves to this inquiry, adding that attendees at Trump rallies numbered in the thousands and sometimes in the tens of thousands.

The study noted that the rallies were not geographically ubiquitous and the degree of compliance with guidelines concerning the use of masks and social distancing was low "in part because the Trump campaign downplayed the risk of infection.

This feature heightens the risk that a rally could become a "superspreader event." The researchers said that to capture the effects of subsequent contagion within the pertinent communities, their analysis encompasses up to 10 post-rally weeks for each event.

"Our method is based on a collection of regression models, one for each event, that capture the relationships between post-event outcomes and pre-event characteristics, including demographics and the trajectory of COVID-19 cases, in similar counties

In reaction to the development, Trump campaign deputy national press secretary Courtney Parella told The Hill news website on Saturday that, "Americans have the right to gather under the First Amendment to hear from the President of the US".

"We take strong precautions for our campaign events, requiring every attendee to have their temperature checked, providing masks, they're instructed to wear, and ensuring access to plenty of hand sanitizer.

"We also have signs at our events instructing attendees to wear their masks," she added.

Reacting to a Twitter post on the study, Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden said "President Trump doesn't care about you. He doesn't even care about his own supporters." The study, released Friday, noted that more than 8.7 million Americans have contracted COVID-19, resulting in more than 225,000 deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised that large in-person events, particularly in settings where participants do not wear masks or practice social distancing, pose a substantial risk of further contagion.

On Friday, the US reported 97,080 new Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day spike since the pandemic began earlier this year.

As of Sunday, the US, currently the worst-hit country, accounted for a total of 9,116,186 cases and 230,345 deaths.