Coronavirus updates: State declares public health emergency over case 'surge'

As the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 approaches the 200,000 mark, President Donald Trump has falsely claimed that the novel coronavirus "affects virtually nobody."

He made the comments to a crowd of supporters Tuesday night during a campaign rally in Swanton, Ohio.

"We now know the disease. We didn't know it, now we know it. It affects elderly people -- elderly people with heart problems and other problems. If they have other problems, that's what it really affects -- that's it," Trump claimed.

"You know, in some states, [it affects] thousands of people -- nobody young. Below the age of 18, like, nobody," he continued. "They have a strong immune system, who knows. Take your hat off to the young because they have a hell of an immune system. But it affects virtually nobody. It’s an amazing thing."

Trump's remarks directly contradict what health experts around the world have said journalist Bob Woodward back in March.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday unveiled a slew of tough new measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in England, which he said may need to stay in force for six months.

"I fervently want to avoid taking this step, as do the devolved administrations, but we will only be able to avoid it if our new measures work and our behavior changes," Johnson told members of Parliament in the House of Commons. "We will spare no effort in developing vaccines, treatments, new forms of mass-testing. But unless we palpably make progress, we should assume that the restrictions that I have announced will remain in place for perhaps six months."

Johnson announced a 10 p.m. curfew for all hospitality venues in England starting Thursday. He said pubs, bars and restaurants throughout the country must also operate a table service only, except for takeaways.

Meanwhile, the use of face coverings will be extended to include all users of taxis and private-hire vehicles, all staff in retail, and all employees and customers at indoor hospitality venues except when seated at a table to eat or drink. The prime minister warned that businesses could be fined if they break the new rules.

Johnson also announced that, from Monday, there will be a 15-person limit on the number of attendees allowed at wedding ceremonies and receptions in England, as well as a 30-person cap for all funerals held in the country.

While Johnson said that people who can work from home should again do so, he stressed that his government "will do everything in our power" to keep schools open and children in classrooms.

The prime minister noted that the three other devolved governments of the United Kingdom -- Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales -- would adopt similar measures.

"For the time being, this virus is a fact of our lives," he said, "and I must tell the House and the country that our fight against it will continue."

The former acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that the agency is losing the public's trust by walking back its COVID-19 guidance.

"The problem is, there have been so many instances where there's been political fingerprints on CDC documents, and CDC hasn't been able to be out front to explain what's going on. It leads to an undermining of trust and when you lose trust, you lose lives," Dr. Richard Besser, who is now the president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos during an interview on "Good Morning America."

The CDC recently issued and later removed updated guidance on its official website to address growing evidence of limited airborne transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19. The agency said Monday that posting the new information was done in error.

"The CDC should be out there every day explaining what they're learning, explaining why guidance is changing," Besser said. "I talked to a leader at CDC and I expect very soon there will be guidance out that talks about other routes of transmission, like aerosols, and what can be done to reduce the risk of transmission as well."

As the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 edges closer to 200,000, Besser described the pandemic as the worst public health crisis in his lifetime and discussed the danger of downplaying the situation.

"When you think about this loss of trust and loss of lives, you know, every community is affected but not equally. Black Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, low-income Americans are being hit the hardest," he said. "So when people downplay the significance of this, there are certain groups that are really paying the price."

Besser warned that coronavirus-related restrictions may need to be rolled out again this winter as people spend more time indoors, increasing the risk of catching respiratory viruses.

"Viruses do better in the winter," he said. "That's something people should anticipate."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected Tuesday to announce new measures in England to curb an alarming rise in COVID-19 infections.

Michael Gove, a senior member of Johnson's cabinet, told Sky News that the clampdown will include ordering pubs and restaurants throughout England to close by 10 p.m. as well as restricting the entire hospitality sector to table service only. The government will also be encouraging people who can work from home to do so, reversing a push to get people back to the office, according to Gove.

It's unknown whether the new restrictions would ultimately be extended U.K.-wide, with coronavirus-related policy responsibilities delegated to the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

"They are reluctant steps that we're taking," Gove told Sky News in an interview Tuesday morning. "But they're absolutely necessary because, as we were reminded yesterday and as you've been reporting, the rate of infection is increasing, the number of people going to hospital is increasing, therefore we need to act."

The move comes a day after the government's chief scientific officer, Sir Patrick Vallance, warned that the United Kingdom could see about 50,000 new COVID-19 cases a day by mid-October if the current rate of infection is not curbed.