President Donald Trumps positive COVID-19 result has made Twitter a busy place in the past 24 hours, including some tweets that have publicly wished some subtly and others more directly that he die from the disease caused by coronavirus.
Twitter put out a reminder to folks that it doesnt allow tweets that wish or hope for death or serious bodily harm or fatal disease against anyone. Tweets that violate this policy will need to be removed, Twitter said Friday. However, it also clarified that this does not automatically mean suspension. Several news outlets misreported that users would be suspended automatically. Of course, that doesnt mean users wont be suspended.
Motherboard reported that users would be suspended, citing a statement from Twitter. That runs slightly counter to Twitters public statement on its own platform.
On Thursday evening, Trump tweeted that he and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, had tested positive for COVID-19. White House physician Sean Conley issued a memo Friday confirming the positive results of SAR-Cov-2 virus, which often is more commonly known as COVID-19. Trump was seen boarding a helicopter Friday evening that was bound for Walter Reed Medical Center for several days of treatment.
The diagnosis sent shares tumbling Friday on the key exchanges, including Nasdaq. The news put downward pressure on all major American indices, but heaviest on tech shares.
Read: The probable outcomes of Trumps diagnosis
The reason could be that we want our friends and family to hear news from us, rather than from another source. Privileged information earns you status, Matthew Feinberg, an organizational-behavior professor at the University of Toronto, told me in an email. Those who are in the know must have a strong social network and therefore must be popular. Perhaps people have an irresistible drive to signal that theyre well informed. That would explain the rush to share breaking news on Twitter, at any rate.
But it doesnt quite explain the urge to tell our loved ones. One would imagine that your status is already secure with your nearest and dearest, whether youre the one to bring new tidings or not. Kafantaris told me that for herself and her husband, sharing big news helps them process it communally. You want to experience this cultural moment with someone, she said. Neither of them respects the other persons sleep schedule, when news breaks. When Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, Kafantaris burst in on her husband in the shower to let him know.
Stacy Torres, a sociologist at the UC San Francisco who has studied gossip, suspects that the drive to tell people about news youve just read relates to the pleasures of sharing secrets or rumors. Although gossip tends to be about people one actually knows, and news is public information, in both situations, theres that moment of wanting to connect, to say, Hey, this thing happened, and its affecting us in some collective way, she told me.
Read: Have you heard? Gossip is actually good and useful.
In addition to the national magnitude of these stories, Torres suspects that people are more likely to shake someone awake for such news because it feels personally relevant. Torres said that she likely wouldnt feel compelled to share just any story that interested her if it didnt seem to practically impact her life. The presidents contracting COVID-19, however, brought up a lot of questions and worries for her, as it likely did for many other Americans. Had Trump infected other public figures? What would his illness mean for the election? Would this change anything about the countrys response to the pandemic? She wanted to reach out to her partner, but he was in a different time zone and likely already asleep, so she resisted. But when she woke up Friday morning, she had gotten a text from him about the news.
Gail Parenti, a 61-year-old retired attorney based in Umbertide, Italy, also resisted the urge to rouse her husband Thursday night, but says she told him the minute he woke up. Just sitting there thinking about it is one thing, she told me, but saying it out loud is something else. I think it helps me process my own feelings to hear his perspective.
In my experience, the conversations I have with those around me when news breaks are often extremely brief. Hey, did you see what happened? Yes, I saw. These exchanges seem to be more about mutual acknowledgment than extended processing. The impulse to share, even if you dont have a big conversation about it, could be a way to confirm that this is happening, Torres said. When I see news that fundamentally shifts my reality, I want to bring those I love into the strange new world with me. No one wants to face the future alone.
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1:33 PM ET
Turron DavenportESPN
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The NFL knew it would likely have to deal with the coronavirus pandemic at some point when it proceeded with the 2020 season.
"At the end of the day, the safest teams and the healthiest team this year is going to be the one that's going to be playing in January and February. We can only control what we can control," Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard said in August.
The Titans became the first NFL team to experience a COVID-19 outbreak. The number of positive tests is now up to 18, and the Titans' game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, originally scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed. The Titans maintain they have adhered to NFL/NFLPA protocols and procedures.
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Contact tracing was initiated as soon as positive tests were received, according to Titans coach Mike Vrabel. Players and select team employees wear a proximity recording device that tracks interaction with others who wear the device. Anyone who was in close proximity to a person who tests positive is subjected to multiple tests. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the coronavirus has an incubation period that can last up to 14 days. An infected person can be contagious up to 72 hours before they even beginning showing symptoms.
While the Titans were the first team to be affected, they weren't the last. Here is a timeline of how everything unfolded for the Titans and the NFL leading up to Saturday's decision to postpone the New England Patriots-Kansas City Chiefs game as well.
Sept. 24: Titans defensive back Greg Mabin tests positive. Mabin was removed from the team facility after receiving a positive test, according to Vrabel. He was placed immediately into the protocol.
Added Vrabel: "When he tested positive, he was removed from the building. He was quarantined, and those individuals that were close contacts with him were also retested and went through their protocol as well."
The Titans signed Mabin to their practice squad on Sept. 21 to add depth. There are new procedures for bringing in a free agent due to the pandemic.
"When you try players out, they go through a process of testing and quarantine before you work them out, and then when you work them out, you decide to sign them or not, and then they're into the testing protocol," Vrabel said on Thursday. "At that point in time, when he tested positive, we went through and followed the protocol and he was removed from the facility."
Sept. 26: Titans outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen tests positive. The Titans received Bowen's positive test last Saturday morning. Bowen didn't make the Titans' trip to Minnesota to play the Vikings.
"When we get the results early in the morning, Todd [Toriscelli] and his staff and Adrian [Dixon] begin the contact tracing. They do the follow-up testing and then we proceed from there with the protocol as it relates to any of the positives that would come up," Vrabel said on Thursday. "There's a POC test which happens, and we're very confident that we've followed the guidelines with the protocol that the league and the players' association have set forth as it relates to identifying those persons of close contact and by using the tracing devices."
Sept. 27: Titans play the Vikings in Minnesota. The Titans defeated the Vikings with Vrabel calling the defensive plays in place of Bowen, who did it for the first two games.
No Vikings have tested positive since the Titans game.
Sept. 28: News breaks of Bowen's positive test. Vrabel confirmed Bowen had a positive test and didn't make the trip to Minnesota. He said Bowen wasn't with the team and that the Titans had followed NFL/NFLPA procedures.
"I'd say we've followed all the protocols as it relates to COVID," Vrabel said. "We're following the hundred memos that they've sent out verbatim."
Titans' positive tests: one player, one team personnel member
Sept. 29: Titans have eight more positive tests. The Titans received new positive tests from three players and five staff members. They placed defensive lineman DaQuan Jones, long-snapper Beau Brinkley and practice squad tight end Tommy Hudson on the reserve-COVID list.
All in-person activities at the Titans' facility were suspended, but the Week 4 game in Nashville against the Pittsburgh Steelers had not yet been impacted.
"We've been given a mandate to prepare as if the game is going to be played and played on time," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.
The Vikings received news of the additional positive tests and closed their facility along with putting a halt to all in-person activities.
Titans' positive tests: four players, six team personnel members
Sept. 30: Another Titan tests positive. Outside linebacker Kamalei Correa was placed on the reserve-COVID list. Vrabel was preparing the team to play as early as Monday. According to Vrabel, the players who were in need of treatment were able to enter the facility to see the athletic training staff. Anyone who entered the building was required to wear a mask at all times.
Vrabel also said some of the players who tested positive were experiencing flu-like symptoms but he anticipated that "they will feel better shortly."
Minnesota reopened its facility with enhanced protocols. ESPN Vikings reporter Courtney Cronin reported that everyone entering the building had to have a negative PCR test and a negative point of care test (nasal swab with results available in 20 minutes).
Titans' positive tests: five players, six team personnel members
2:10
Dianna Russini shares the latest on Cam Newton testing positive for COVID-19 and what that means for the Patriots.
Oct. 1: Two more Titans test positive; NFL postpones Steelers vs. Titans. The Titans placed cornerback Kristian Fulton on the reserve-COVID list. An additional unnamed team personnel member also tested positive.
According to a statement, the NFL's decision to move the game to a later date was made "to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel."
Vrabel told the media the Titans were "very confident that we've followed the guidelines with the protocol that the league and the players' association have set forth." The Titans' facility remained closed. All players, coaches and select team members continued testing while the team was on its bye week as a result of the postponement.
Vrabel delivered news of the postponement to the Titans during a virtual team meeting at 8:30 a.m. The Titans turned their attention to their Week 5 opponent, the Buffalo Bills.
"We had a squad meeting to inform the team that in light of the two recent positive tests that we had, the NFL had made the smart and safe decision to postpone our game, and that we would be on a bye week starting now," Vrabel said. "[We] reminded them to not gather with each other, players and staff, until we can find a safe way to enter in back to our building ... hopefully which would happen Monday or Tuesday, [and] we would then [begin] preparation against Buffalo."
The NFL also issued a memo with enhanced protocols for teams to follow after exposure to the COVID-19 virus -- including two daily tests. PPE and face masks must be worn by all players and coaches on the practice field and gloves must be worn by everyone except quarterbacks on their throwing hand. All meetings must be virtual, and there will also be daily deep cleanings of the facility. The protocols also prohibit team or player gatherings away from the facility.
Titans' positive tests: six players, seven team personnel members
Oct 2: Two more Titans test positive; NFL reschedules Steelers vs. Titans for Week 7. The Titans placed wide receivers Adam Humphries and Cam Batson on the reserve-COVID list.
Both the Titans and the Steelers now have Week 4 as their bye week. Officials from the NFL and NFLPA visit Nashville to look further into the outbreak situation.
The NFL released another memo, this time outlining procedures during the bye week and "testing cadence." The statement reminds players there is a $50,000 fine for missing a test. A second missed test results in a one game suspension.
Any player that misses a daily test without authorization during the bye week must have five negative PCR tests (taken 24 hours apart) before reentering a team facility.
Titans' positive tests: eight players, seven team personnel members
Oct. 3: Multiple NFL positive tests. The Titans received another positive test for a player and two for team personnel members.
News broke that New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton had tested positive on Saturday morning. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that, per a source, the Patriots did mass testing and retesting and there was no immediate spread.
Schefter also reported that Sunday's Patriots vs. Chiefs game would likely be moved to Tuesday.
Chiefs practice squad quarterback Jordan Ta'amu also tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a source.
Titans' positive tests: nine players, nine team personnel members
The mother of a South Carolina elementary school teacher who died from Covid-19 last month shared the same fate as her daughter a few weeks later, a relative said.
Shirley Bannister, 57, died from Covid-19 complications on Sept. 27, several weeks after her daughter, Demetria "Demi" Bannister, 28, died from the virus on Sept. 7, Dennis Bell, Shirley's brother, said Friday.
"Shirley was everybody's auntie," Dennis said. "She wanted to make sure her students succeeded, loved taking care of people and was involved with the community."
Shirley, the second youngest of six siblings, was a "mother figure" even as a child, eventually taking care of their aging mother when she grew older, Dennis said. "She was a confidante, the kind of person you would go to with problems, and she would be like your own personal sounding board, a great listener."
The same compassion extended to her work when, at age 19, she received a licensed practicing nurse degree from Midlands Technical College in Columbia. She continued working as a nurse in the gerontology department for 30 years before becoming head of the nursing department at Midlands, which she did for seven years.
Demi inherited her mother's generosity and commitment to helping others by pursuing a teaching career. "Demetria was almost a spitting image of Shirley in her mannerisms and the way she carried herself," Dennis said.
Demi was a voracious learner who was unafraid to try new things, Dennis said. "She loved mentoring kids and making learning fun," he said. "She wanted to transfer that energy and passion to younger people."
Demi, who started her education path five years ago, was a third grade teacher at Windsor Elementary School, where she was known as "Windsor's Songbird," said Denise Quickel, the school's principal.
"Ms. Bannister loved her students and never missed an opportunity to advocate for students and public education," Quickel said. Demi was heavily involved in school productions, leading the school's student choir and even hosting a student club for aspiring singers.
Demi did not initially show symptoms, and all cleaning protocols were followed when she was last inside the school building on Aug. 28, the school district said.
Dennis said it was unclear how she contracted the virus, because the school year started remotely, but she tested positive on Sept. 4 and was hospitalized before passing away three days later.
Shirley had diabetes and asthma before she reported Covid-19 symptoms, Dennis said. She tested positive for Covid-19 and was hospitalized a week before her death on Sept. 27.
A double funeral service was scheduled for Saturday.
The inseparable duo were "loving and driven women," Dennis said. They weren't just educators, he said, but also avid scrapbookers, family planners and "the light of any room."
Shirley and Demi are survived by Shirley's husband and Demi's father, Dennis Bannister. He tested negative for the virus.
"They were just both so committed to living life each day as its last," Dennis said. "They will be missed so much."
Wilson Wong is a news associate at NBC News.
TheWest Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) reportsas of 10:00 a.m., October 2, 2020, there have been 576,026 total confirmatory laboratory results receivedfor COVID-19, with 16,307 total cases and 355 deaths.
DHHR has confirmed the death of an 89-year old male from MarionCounty. We regret to report another death of a fellow West Virginian,said Bill J. Crouch, DHHR Cabinet Secretary. Each life lost is heartbreakingand we extend our sincere condolences.
CASESPER COUNTY: Barbour(91), Berkeley (1,064), Boone (246), Braxton (13), Brooke (117), Cabell (876),Calhoun (27), Clay (37), Doddridge (32), Fayette (651), Gilmer (48), Grant(163), Greenbrier (130), Hampshire (109), Hancock (151), Hardy (92), Harrison(423), Jackson (284), Jefferson (444), Kanawha (2,813), Lewis (40), Lincoln(182), Logan (632), Marion (297), Marshall (183), Mason (146), McDowell (91),Mercer (432), Mineral (175), Mingo (395), Monongalia (2,072), Monroe (151),Morgan (60), Nicholas (115), Ohio (378), Pendleton (53), Pleasants (18),Pocahontas (60), Preston (161), Putnam (612), Raleigh (546), Randolph (265),Ritchie (13), Roane (55), Summers (59), Taylor (150), Tucker (39), Tyler (16),Upshur (97), Wayne (414), Webster (8), Wetzel (62), Wirt (12), Wood (380),Wyoming (127).
Pleasenote that delays may be experienced with the reporting of information from thelocal health department to DHHR. As case surveillance continues at the localhealth department level, it may reveal that those tested in a certain countymay not be a resident of that county, or even the state as an individual inquestion may have crossed the state border to be tested.
Pleasevisit the dashboard located at www.coronavirus.wv.gov for more information.
Free COVID-19 testinglocations are available today in Barbour, Harrison, Kanawha, Jefferson,Marshall, Taylor and Upshur counties, and Saturday in Jefferson and Marshallcounties:
Barbour County, October2, 10:00 AM 2:00 PM, Barbour County Fair Grounds, 113 Fairgrounds Way,Belington, WV
Harrison County, October2, 10:00 AM 3:00 PM, Robert C. Byrd High School, 1 Eagle Way, Clarksburg, WV
Kanawha County, October2, 11:00 AM 5:00 PM, Riverside High School, 1 Warrior Way, Belle, WV (flushots offered)
Jefferson County, October2, 1:00 PM 7:00 PM, Ranson Civic Center Parking Lot, 432 W. 2nd Avenue,Ranson, WV
Marshall County, October2, 8:00 AM 4:00 PM, Marshall County Health Department, 513 6th Street,Moundsville, WV
Taylor County, October 2,12:00 PM 2:00 PM, First Baptist Church of Grafton, 2034 Webster Pike (US Rt.119 South), Grafton, WV
Upshur County, October 2,10:00 AM 4:00 PM, Buckhannon Upshur High School, 270 B-U Drive, Buckhannon,WV
Jefferson County, October3, 9:00 AM 3:00 PM, Ranson Civic Center Parking Lot, 432 W. 2nd Avenue,Ranson, WV
Marshall County, October3, 8:00 AM 4:00 PM, Marshall County Health Department, 513 6th Street,Moundsville, WV
Testing is available to everyone,including asymptomatic individuals. For upcoming testing locations, pleasevisit https://dhhr.wv.gov/COVID-19/pages/testing.aspx.
President Trump who insisted when the coronavirus first emerged that it would not be a threat in the United States spent months playing down the effectiveness of masks, initially refused to be photographed with one on and this week mocked former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. for wearing one.
He has softened his tone on masks and has been seen wearing one with a presidential seal, and in the summer he began encouraging Americans to wear them. But even his endorsements of masks which health officials say are a key way to slow the spread of the virus have come with caveats that have muddled the message.
One example: At the presidential debate on Tuesday, after saying that he wore masks when needed, Mr. Trump claimed that Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the leading U.S. official on infectious diseases, had initially said that masks are not good then he changed his mind. (Dr. Fauci rejected the claim, saying on Thursday that he had long been begging people to wear masks.)
It was the latest in Mr. Trumps pattern of playing down the seriousness of the coronavirus. Here are some of his most notable statements since the beginning of the pandemic.
On his own use of masks and their effectiveness.
April 3, at the White House: The C.D.C. is advising the use of nonmedical cloth face covering as an additional voluntary public health measure. So its voluntary. You dont have to do it. They suggested for a period of time, but this is voluntary. I dont think Im going to be doing it.
I just dont want to be doing I dont know, somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk, the great Resolute Desk. I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens I dont know, somehow I dont see it for myself. I just, I just dont.
May 21, touring a Ford plant: I wore one a mask in the back area. I didnt want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it.
July 19, to the Fox News host Chris Wallace: I dont agree with the statement that if everybody wears a mask, everything disappears.
Aug. 13, at the White House: My administration has a different approach: We have urged Americans to wear masks, and I emphasized this is a patriotic thing to do. Maybe theyre great, and maybe theyre just good. Maybe theyre not so good.
Sept. 7, asking a reporter to remove a mask while asking a question: If you dont take it off, youre very muffled.
Sept. 29 at a presidential debate: I think masks are OK. You have to understand, if you look I mean, I have a mask right here. I put a mask on when I think I need it. Tonight, as an example, everybodys had a test, and youve had social distancing and all of the things that you have to.
He continued: When needed, I wear masks. I dont wear masks like him, he said of Mr. Biden. Every time you see him, hes got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from them, and he shows up with the biggest mask Ive ever seen.
Jan. 22, asked by a CNBC reporter whether there were worries about a pandemic: No, not at all. We have it totally under control. Its one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. Its going to be just fine.
Jan. 30, in Warren, Mich.: We have very little problem in this country at this moment five. And those people are all recuperating successfully.
Feb. 14, addressing the National Border Patrol Council: Theres a theory that, in April, when it gets warm historically, that has been able to kill the virus. So we dont know yet; were not sure yet.
Feb. 24, in a tweet: The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!
Feb. 26, at a White House news conference, commenting on the countrys first reported cases: Were going to be pretty soon at only five people, and we could be at just one or two people over the next short period of time. So weve had very good luck.
Feb. 26, flanked by top health officials from government agencies: The risk to the American people remains very low. We have the greatest experts, really in the world, right here.
Feb. 27, at a White House meeting: Its going to disappear. One day its like a miracle it will disappear.
March 7, asked at Mar-a-Lago whether he was concerned that the virus was getting closer to the White House and Washington: No, Im not concerned at all. No, Im not. No, weve done a great job.
While infections spread worldwide, COVID-19 cases have been declining across the African continent since July. The reason, according to the World Health Organization and other experts, is the result of a a combination of public health measures paired with strong socio-environmental factors.
Early on, some worried that a shortage of health professionals and equipment would make battling COVID-19 difficult - or even catastrophic. Others wondered if prevention measures, such as handwashing, could be easily be adapted to varying contexts where finding fresh running water can be difficult.
Years of experience battling previous pandemics, however, helped ensure the continents response was swift and more tailored to local needs and capacities than it might have been otherwise. Fraying global solidarity also galvanized many nations to seek out solutions themselves rather than wait for resources or support.
Africa has not witnessed an exponential spread of COVID-19 as many initially feared, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, was quoted in the release.
The downward trend we have seen in Africa over the past two months is undoubtedly a positive development and speaks to the robust and decisive public health measures taken by governments across the region, said Moeti.
Africas younger population has helped keep case numbers - and deaths - down. Around 40% of the continents population is younger than 14, according to World Bank data. Algeria, one of the continents most affected countries also has one of the larger shares of older residents (6.5% of people 65 and older, around twice the share of the continent as a whole.)
What is more, African culture is more inclusive of older persons and many live with their families instead of care homes, which have proven to be extremely high-risk environments. Large shares of older populations helped drive death rates in countries around the world. At one point in the US, one third of all deaths came from nursing home residents and their workers.
Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic requires global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community, which is at the centre of the World Economic Forums mission as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.
Since its launch on 11 March, the Forums COVID Action Platform has brought together 1,667 stakeholders from 1,106 businesses and organizations to mitigate the risk and impact of the unprecedented global health emergency that is COVID-19.
The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action.
As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was launched bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus.
Travel challenges have helped limit the virus spread. Travel within the African continent can be more challenging than in other areas around the world due to the continents sheer size and the lower development of road networks. Additionally, the high-cost of inter-continental flights can make air travel less attractive.
To bridge those gaps, countries leveraged new technologies and approaches to adhere to health guidelines, keeping goods moving and people safe. For instance, a special system forged by the six nations of the East African Community helped truckers efficiently share COVID-19 test results to speed cross-border trade.
Meanwhile, lightweight drones helped get deliveries of supplies such as blood and PPE to hospitals and clinics to rural communities in Africa. Trips that might have taken an entire day by car can take 30 minutes or less by drone.
To date, the continent has seen 1.4 million cases and 36,000 deaths, a fraction of that other countries have experienced. Its recovery rate has been nearly 80%.
Still, the country must remain vigilant. Nearly 80% of those infected in Africa show no symptoms, Moeti recently explained. Progress has made some complacent.
As long as the virus is spreading, the risk for an uptick in spread and overwhelmed health systems is real. As Moeti explained, The slower spread of infection in the region means we expect the pandemic to continue to smoulder for some time, with occasional flare-ups.
However, when the coronavirus pandemic started, Woodrum began to accept that her travel plans would have to be put on hold. But what she couldn't accept was staying at home and "waiting this thing out."
She joined as an ambassador and learned that participating in physically challenging projects with the bluish green box was central to the organization's mission.
As an avid hiker and lover of the outdoors, the 27-year-old decided she was going to climb all 58 of Colorado's 14,000 feet peaks with the goal of raising awareness and funding for families around the world who have lost their homes and are now facing the threat of Covid-19.
Seventy-eight days and nearly 600 miles of hiking later, Woodrum raised $85,0000 from friends, family and strangers around the world. All while carrying the symbolic -- and useful -- 14-pound box.
Woodrum said because the project came together so quickly, she didn't think she would raise more than $5,000. "Word seemed to spread very quickly and a lot of people were equally impassioned by ShelterBox's mission and what I was doing," she said. "I have an immense amount of gratitude to everyone who came out to support me both virtually & physically."
The journey was not easy. "There were a lot of variables involved," she said. "From the weather to my health and well-being. I am so relieved that everything went better than expected."
Woodrum spent most nights camping but spent her fair share of nights in her car.
"I really wanted to avoid going into towns and hotels to minimize my impact on the spread of the coronavirus," Woodrum -- who said she only went grocery shopping twice throughout the entire journey -- told CNN. "It was definitely an adventure. I ate a lot of mashed potatoes."
CHICAGO News Friday that President Trump and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19 sparked an explosion of rumors, misinformation and conspiracy theories that in a matter of hours littered the social media feeds of many Americans.
Tweets shared thousands of times claimed Democrats might have somehow intentionally infected the president with the coronavirus during the debates. Others speculated in Facebook posts that maybe the president was faking his illness. And the news also ignited constant conjecture among QAnon followers, who peddle a baseless belief that Trump is a warrior against a secret network of government officials and celebrities that they falsely claim is running a child trafficking ring.
In the final weeks of the presidential campaign, Trumps COVID-19 diagnosis was swept into an online vortex of coronavirus misinformation and the falsehoods swirling around this polarizing election. Trump himself has driven much of that confusion and distrust on the campaign trail, from his presidential podium and his Twitter account, where hes made wrong claims about widespread voter fraud or hawked unproven cures for the coronavirus, such as hydroxychloroquine.
This is both a political crisis weeks before the election and also a health crisis; its a perfect storm, said Alexandra Cirone, an assistant professor at Cornell University who studies the effect of misinformation on government.
Facebook said Friday that it immediately began monitoring misinformation around the presidents diagnosis and had started applying fact checks to some false posts.
Twitter, meanwhile, was monitoring an uptick in copypasta campaigns about Trumps illness. Copypasta campaigns are attempts by numerous Twitter accounts to parrot the same phrase over and over to inundate users with messaging, and they are sometimes signals of coordinated activity. The social media company said it was working to limit views on those tweets.
But nearly 30,000 Twitter users had retweeted a variety of conspiracy theories about the news by Friday morning, according to an analysis by VineSight, a tech company that tracks online misinformation.
Roughly 10,000 of those retweets touted the drug hydroxychloroquine, an unproven treatment for COVID-19, as a treatment for the president. Another 13,000 retweets were related to a QAnon conspiracy theory that the president is going into quarantine while mass arrests of high-profile politicians like Trumps former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton are carried out, according to the companys analysis.
Most of the conversation was coming from unverified accounts on Twitter, said Gideon Blocq, the CEO of VineSight.
A lot of them seem very happy about whats going to happen because they think Hillary Clinton is going to be arrested, Blocq said of the QAnon accounts.
Misinformation was not only promoted in the fringe spheres of the internet but by everyday social media users as well, said Shane Creevy, head of editorial at Kinzen, an Ireland-based company that works to monitor misinformation online.
The conspiracy part of the internet is like outside the mainstream, but even among regular users we are seeing quite a lot of crazy thinking pushed out there from people who should know better, Creevy said.
Other social media users were suggesting that Trumps diagnosis is a hoax aimed at generating sympathy among voters or even getting out of the next presidential debate against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
That speculation shows up in Facebook comments on news stories about Trump.
It is a lie, one Facebook user wrote on a TV news networks post about Trump, calling it a Strategy to not debate Biden anymore.
Similar posts making the groundless claim were shared hundreds or thousands of times online.
Is Trump faking COVID to avoid narcissistic injury of losing the election? one Twitter user asked in a post retweeted more than 4,000 times Friday morning.
Clint Watts, a disinformation expert with the Foreign Policy Research Institute, published a report in July describing one or both of the candidates contracting COVID-19 as a scenario for prompting an onslaught of disinformation in the campaign.
The biggest reason why this is a disaster is because there are no trusted information sources remaining that have not been undermined by the president, he said.
The news is also ripe for foreign and domestic internet instigators to exploit in a disinformation campaign, and opens the door for people to unwittingly spread misinformation, said Cirone, the Cornell professor.
She predicted that internet users will share video clips of politicians coughing or appearing ill to prematurely claim that they have tested positive for the virus.
In fact, social media users have already employed a similar strategy when they shared video clips of Biden coughing during an event in Pennsylvania on Wednesday to suggest he was sick. The video resurfaced again getting more than 160,000 views on Twitter by Friday morning with social media users suggesting that Biden either infected Trump or had caught the virus from Trump during the debate. Biden and his wife tested negative Friday for the virus.
Individual citizens shouldnt amplify any speculation, Cirone said. Nefarious actors are banking on the (likelihood) that citizens will be very concerned about this and accidentally spread fake news.
In perhaps a sign of whats to come, state-backed Russian television channel RT tweeted a story suggesting that Bidens prolonged coughing from the debate raised concerns for the former vice president after Trumps test. In the last presidential election, Russia launched an online misinformation campaign with bogus social media accounts that aimed to sway U.S. voters opinions in the race, and there are signs that the Kremlin is at it again.
Watts said Russian-backed accounts are mostly only trolling the president and the White House so far, but they are just getting started especially given that the president has only begun his quarantine.
They are going to position all sorts of conspiracies or amplify American conspiracies, Watts said.
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A total of eight Tennessee Titans players have tested positive for COVID-19 this week after another player and two staff members tested positive Saturday, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
In all, 16 members of the Titans organization -- the eight players and eight team personnel -- have tested positive since the team last played on Sunday.
On Friday, the Titans announced that wide receiver Adam Humphries and practice squad receiver Cameron Batson had been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Also going on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week were starting nose tackle DaQuan Jones, linebacker Kamalei Correa, cornerback Kristian Fulton, long-snapper Beau Brinkley and practice squad tight end Tommy Hudson.
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Coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday that some of the players who tested positive were experiencing flu-like symptoms.
Officials from the NFL and the NFL Players Association were in Nashville on Friday to check into the spread of the coronavirus on the team, sources told ESPN, confirming a report by NFL Network.
Other Titans players on the reserve/COVID-19 list are defensive back Greg Mabin, who was placed on the list Sept. 24, and offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson (Sept. 6). Prior to the Titans' 31-30 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3, outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen's tested positive on Sept. 26.
On Thursday, the NFL announced that the Titans' game with the Pittsburgh Steelers would not be played during Week 4 due to the positive coronavirus tests on the Tennessee team. The Titans are now scheduled to play the Steelers in Week 7 on Oct. 25, the league said Friday. The Steelers were scheduled to play a road game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7 but will now play that game in Week 8.
The Minnesota Vikings again had no positive test results Saturday, a source told Schefter. They went back to work inside their facility Thursday and remain scheduled to visit Houston on Sunday as scheduled after losing 31-30 to the Titans last week. The Vikings .
ESPN's Turron Davenport and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
