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Corona Causes Stupidity Pandemic – Among Democrats

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Politicians are known for exploiting tragedy, and no party has perfected this art more than Democrats. From shootings (name one and there’s always a Democrat there seeking to exploit it) to plane crashes (Paul Wellstone) and memorials (Elijah Cummings), Democrats are the ambulance chasing lawyers of the political world. If something bad happens, there will be a Democrat there trying to use it to their advantage. . .

But the United States has excellent care everywhere. While there is no “cure” for a virus, we have the ability to treat the symptoms more readily available than any other country in the world. And we also care to administer that care. Most of the rest of the world: not so much. . .

Dying from coronavirus is rare, the mortality rate is roughly 1-2 percent. Otherwise healthy people get sick with flu-like symptoms, then recover. The threat is to the elderly, particularly those with respiratory issues or other health problems.

You wouldn’t know any of this if you just listened to Democrats and their public relations arm in the media. To hear them tell it, we’re on the verge of a pandemic that will make the Walking Dead look like a Sunday picnic. . .

Instead, we get politicians hyperventilating, claiming the president hasn’t requested enough money to fight the disease. Not said is what the “extra” money Democrats insist is necessary is actually necessary for. Are there experts and labs out there that could find a treatment but they’re sitting idle because they don’t have any money? Are there more masks and antiseptics cluttering warehouses because the government doesn’t have the money to buy them? No. (Read more from “Corona Causes Stupidity to Go Viral” HERE)

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CDC Disease Director: Low Number of U.S. Coronavirus Cases ‘Reflection of Aggressive Containment Efforts’; U.S. Coronavirus Cases Jump to 71

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By Breitbart. The still low number of cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States is “a reflection of the aggressive containment efforts of the U.S. government,” said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

In a press briefing Friday, Nancy Messonnier, M.D., said:

Because of the aggressive U.S. efforts at our border strategy the number of cases has been low. And we have been able to focus our efforts on travelers and their close contact based on our evaluation of who is at highest risk. We will continue to modify our approach. In terms of diagnostic testing, additional labs are coming on-line and additional test kits are on their way now.

Messonnier cautioned, however, about the possibility of additional cases of infection.

(Read more from “CDC Disease Director: Low Number of U.S. Coronavirus Cases ‘Reflection of Aggressive Containment Efforts’” HERE)

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U.S. Coronavirus Cases Jump to 71

By New York Post. The number of coronavirus cases in the US stood at 71 early Sunday, according to the Center for Disease Control officials. . .

The remaining cases were mostly from the West Coast, including 12 confirmed in California and six from the Seattle area. One of those patients, a middle-aged man in his 50s, died overnight Friday, becoming the first reported fatality on US soil.

Illinois has three cases, all in Chicago. The remaining states with cases have just one patient each: Wisconsin, Oregon, Texas, Arizona and Massachusetts, where a Boston patient has since recovered. (Read more from “U.S. Coronavirus Cases Jump to 71” HERE)

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Trump ‘Strongly’ Considering Serious Action at U.S.-Mexico Border to Stop Spread of Coronavirus

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President Donald Trump said Saturday that American officials are strongly considering shutting the U.S.-Mexico border amid concerns over the coronavirus.

When asked at a press conference if he was considering closing the border, Trump answered in the affirmative, Reuters reported.

“We are looking also at southern border,” Trump said. “We have received a lot of power on the southern border over the last couple years from the courts, but we are looking at that very strongly.”

Earlier on Saturday, Reuters reported, citing two Department of Homeland Security officials, that Trump was considering taking action at the border. However, despite seemingly confirming the reporting, Trump later downplayed his statement, saying that officials are “thinking about all borders.”

Vice President Mike Pence also announced during the press conference that the U.S. would impose new travel restrictions against Iran, South Korea, and Italy. (Read more from “Trump ‘Strongly’ Considering Serious Action at U.S.-Mexico Border to Stop Spread of Coronavirus” HERE)

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First U.S. Coronavirus Death; Iranian Coronavirus Deaths Way Higher Than Government Admits; 3 New Cases of Unknown Origin In U.S.; Pandemic Preppers Arm Up, ‘Person With The Most Ammo Wins’

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By KIRO 7. The Washington Department of Health confirmed Saturday the first coronavirus-related death in the United States, a King County man in his 50s.

The man who later died arrived at EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland with “serious respiratory issues” and later tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus), King County Public Health said. Officials said the man also had underlying health conditions, although they declined to say what the conditions were, citing patient privacy.

“It is a sad day in our state as we learn that a Washingtonian has died from COVID-19,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to their family and friends. We will continue to work toward a day where no one dies from this virus.”

The man had no history of travel or contact with a known coronavirus case, meaning the case was acquired through “community transmission” in the Seattle area, said Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. (Read more about first coronavirus deaths HERE)

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Iranian Coronavirus Deaths Far Higher than Official Number

By Breitbart. BBC Persian cites Iranian health sources who claim that at least 210 people may have died from the coronavirus in Iran. If true, that is significantly higher than the official death toll of 34.

Health sources in Iran told reporters with BBC Persian that at least 210 patients in that country died from the Covid-19 coronavirus. The Iranian government denies the number and claims that only 34 have died. Either way, it is the largest number of coronavirus deaths in any country outside of China.

Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur rejected that report and stood by the official death reports placing the number of decedents at 34, Reuters reported on Friday.

However, Iranian Member of Parliament Gholamali Jafarzadeh Imenabadi contradicted the government’s statement and claimed the real death toll in Iran is “much higher” than the official death toll, Alarabiya reports.

“I say this explicitly, the statistics presented so far are not true,” he said. The MP added that he has statistics from cemeteries about the death toll that reveal “horrific numbers.” (Read more from “Coronavirus Deaths May Be Much Higher Than Iranian Government Admitted” HERE)

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New Coronavirus Cases in California and Oregon Are Second and Third of Unknown Origin

By CNN. An older adult woman from California is the second case of unknown origin of the novel coronavirus, health officials in Santa Clara County said Friday.

The patient didn’t have any relevant travel history or exposure to another known patient, said Dr. Sara Cody, director of the county’s public health department. . .

Another case in Oregon reported Friday is thought to be from community transmission but health officials there said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention needs to confirm the state’s positive test result.

The person is from Washington County and is being treated at a Kaiser Permanente hospital. (Read more from “New Coronavirus Cases in California and Oregon Are Second and Third of Unknown Origin” HERE)

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Pandemic Preppers Arm Up, ‘Person With The Most Ammo Wins’

By Washington Examiner. Some Washington big shots like others around the country are readying for the potential further outbreak of the coronavirus by stocking up on “prepper” goods, including pistols, rifles, and ammunition, and reaching out to camps where they can hide out.

“We’ve had a huge surge in interest from the virus,” said Drew Miller, who runs the Fortitude Ranch camp in West Virginia. Miller said his “survival community” in Colorado has filled up, and he is close to selling out memberships in West Virginia as concerns about the virus increase.

Stores that sell freeze-dried food and bullets have also seen a surge in sales.

Justin Anderson, the marketing director for Hyatt Guns in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the nation’s largest, said ammunition is the top seller. “I’ve seen a notable spike in the purchase of bulk ammo, which is usually a barometer of people’s fear in these types of situations,” he said, adding, “The person with the most ammo wins.” . . .

“We have always been prepared for a pandemic,” he told us, explaining that his camps keep families apart so an infection won’t spread but are behind a wall for defense. “Lots of spread out buildings and shallow shelters (we have NO deep underground shelters) lets our members grab weapons and get to their assigned defensive position on the outer wall in a minute,” he said. (Read more from “Pandemic Preppers Arm Up, ‘Person With The Most Ammo Wins'” HERE)

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Breakthrough: Israeli Scientists Say They Will Have Coronavirus Vaccine ‘in a Few Weeks’

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Israeli scientists are on the cusp of developing the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus, according to Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis. If all goes as planned, the vaccine could be ready within a few weeks and available in 90 days, according to a release.

“Congratulations to MIGAL [The Galilee Research Institute] on this exciting breakthrough,” Akunis said. “I am confident there will be further rapid progress, enabling us to provide a needed response to the grave global COVID-19 threat,” Akunis said, referring to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

For the past four years, a team of MIGAL scientists has been developing a vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), which causes a bronchial disease affecting poultry. The effectiveness of the vaccine has been proven in preclinical trials carried out at the Veterinary Institute. . .

“Our basic concept was to develop the technology and not specifically a vaccine for this kind or that kind of virus,” said Dr. Chen Katz, MIGAL’s biotechnology group leader. “The scientific framework for the vaccine is based on a new protein expression vector, which forms and secretes a chimeric soluble protein that delivers the viral antigen into mucosal tissues by self-activated endocytosis, causing the body to form antibodies against the virus.” . . .

But after scientists sequenced the DNA of the novel coronavirus causing the current worldwide outbreak, the MIGAL researchers examined it and found that the poultry coronavirus has high genetic similarity to the human one, and that it uses the same infection mechanism, which increases the likelihood of achieving an effective human vaccine in a very short period of time, Katz said. (Read more from “Breakthrough: Israeli Scientists Say They Will Have Coronavirus Vaccine ‘in a Few Weeks'” HERE)

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Experts: Coronavirus on Verge of U.S. “Explosion”; Retailers Will See Empty Shelves by Mid-April; 2nd Cruise Ship Turned Away From Multiple Ports

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By Olivia Messer. [E]xperts on deadly diseases say Americans should be prepared to see an overnight boom in cases that mirror the skyrocketing outbreaks in Italy and South Korea . . .

In Italy, officials have not been able to trace the origin of infections, which skyrocketed from just four on Friday to more than 528 by Thursday, killing at least 14 people. While each country faces its own health and containment challenges, experts say, there is little reason to believe the United States won’t soon face a similar coronavirus surge, even as President Trump on Wednesday urged calm and put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the disease’s containment. . .

Earlier this month, experts suggested some patients of this virus are ultra-contagious “super-spreaders.” That is, they more easily transmit the infection to others in a manner similar to the way “Typhoid Mary” became notorious for transmitting the bacteria that causes typhoid to at least 50 other people before she died in 1938.

“It would spread very rapidly on a crowded subway or metro system,” [medical expert Dr. Adrian] Hyzler said. (Read more HERE)

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By The Hill. A second cruise ship has been refused entry at multiple ports over fears of coronavirus among those on board.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that the MSC Meraviglia was refused entry in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands after a crew member reported flu-like symptoms, raising fears from health officials in the two countries of a possible coronavirus transmission.

“In an abundance of caution, in order to provide protection to the health and safety of the residents of the Cayman Islands, the government has denied permission for the cruise ship to call on Grand Cayman as previously scheduled,” said Cayman Islands health minister Dwayne Seymour.

“The crew member had a cough, fever and associated muscle pains with a travel history to a country of interest relating to the Covid-19,” added Jamaica’s health ministry in a statement to the Times. (Read more from “Second Cruise Ship Turned Away From Multiple Ports Over Possible Coronavirus” HERE)

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Coronavirus Epidemic: U.S. Retailers Could See Some Empty Shelves by Mid-April

By NBC News. Coronavirus has the potential to become a global pandemic, temporarily emptying retail store shelves in the coming months and depressing some consumer-facing businesses, experts say, with government officials advising families to take measured steps to stock up on certain essentials.

A pandemic is the rapid spread of an infectious disease to a large amount of people in a short period of time across international boundaries.

Ahead of any pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security says families should check their prescription drug supplies, store two-week supplies of water and food and have non-prescription drugs and health supplies on hand, including pain relievers, cough and cold medicines and fluids with electrolytes. (Read more from “Coronavirus Epidemic: U.S. Retailers Could See Some Empty Shelves by Mid-April” HERE)

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Coronavirus Could Spread Rapidly in the U.S.; Trump Rails Against Dems for Wasting Time Amid Coronoavirus Epidemic

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Trump rails against Dems ‘wasting time’ amid coronavirus threat

By Tyler Olson. As his administration is working to organize its response to the coronavirus threat in the United States, President Trump slammed Democrats overnight for allegedly “wasting time” going after him.

A series of late-night tweets marked the latest exchange between the White House and congressional Democrats over the outbreak, with each side simultaneously urging the other not to politicize the potential crisis yet also taking shots at press conferences and on social media — complicating efforts to work together.

. . . House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., released a joint statement Thursday on what they want to see in a funding bill to help fight the coronavirus that also included what appeared to be a swipe at Trump.

“The United States government must do more to address the spread of the deadly coronavirus in a smart, strategic, and serious way and we stand ready to work in a bipartisan fashion in Congress and with the administration to achieve this necessary goal,” the statement read. “Lives are at stake—this is not the time for name-calling or playing politics.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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Coronavirus Could Spread Rapidly in U.S.

By Daily Beast. . . .Though novel 2019 coronavirus cases in the United States have so far ticked up in fits and starts, experts on deadly diseases say Americans should be prepared to see an overnight boom in cases that mirror the skyrocketing outbreaks in Italy and South Korea.

At last count from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 60 confirmed novel 2019 coronavirus cases in the U.S. One of those cases—in northern California—marked the first case of unknown origin, as The Washington Post first reported Wednesday. Fourteen patients came through the American health system after traveling to China or having close contact with someone who had. The rest were either repatriated individuals who fled the vicinity of the virus’s origin in China on State Department-chartered planes or else were rescued from the disastrous Diamond Princess cruise ship outbreak.

Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, acknowledged Tuesday that community spread—when cases are detected in an area but the source of the infection is not known—was very likely to cause more infections in the United States. The case in California, which a CDC statement said was “picked up by astute clinicians,” appeared to prove her right, and set the stage for a serious test of American health infrastructure after years of atrophy.

In Italy, officials have not been able to trace the origin of infections, which skyrocketed from just four on Friday to more than 528 by Thursday, killing at least 14 people. While each country faces its own health and containment challenges, experts say, there is little reason to believe the United States won’t soon face a similar coronavirus surge, even as President Trump on Wednesday urged calm and put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the disease’s containment.

“It’s possible to say suddenly we’ll have 20 or 30 cases from one particular place,” said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, an adjunct professor of epidemiology at the University of California Los Angeles who previously worked for the CDC. “People should expect that, but people should not be overly concerned about that. If we were testing everyone for the common cold, we would find hundreds of thousands of cases.” (Read more from “It’s Spreading: Coronavirus Could Explode Overnight in the U.S.” HERE)

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Bottomless Money Pit: Agencies Dealing With Coronavirus Already Have Record Funding

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Rule number one in government: Never get into a bidding war with Democrats on how much money you want to spend. They have no limit to how much they will spend and will mortgage the future of our children to do so. Trump should heed this lesson as he fights with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over the level of funding to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

Trump’s mistake was even offering another $2.5 billion in emergency funding to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS. Everyone is forgetting that HHS already has a record high discretionary spending budget – over and beyond the high levels of the Obama years. If that is not enough to deal with the coronavirus, then there’s something else wrong here. Yet now that Trump promised more funding, Schumer is demanding $8.5 billion in spending. Why not make it $50 billion?

In fiscal year 2018, Trump promised massive cuts to the bloated HHS. Instead, he signed a bill dramatically increasing spending on the very programs he targeted for cuts. The spending level at HHS for that year wound up being 43 percent higher than Trump’s budget request. The budget for the National Institutes of Health was supposed to be cut by 22 percent and was instead increased by 8.8 percent. The CDC was to be cut by 16.9 percent and was instead increased by 14.4 percent.

In total, the amount of spending on discretionary health programs (not including Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, and similar welfare and entitlements) has grown from $56 billion to $73 billion since 2016.

NIH funding for this year is $41.68 billion, an increase of $2.6 billion from FY 2019. That is a total of $11.6 billion in more funding since FY 2016, a 38.6 percent increase. CDC is also at record funding levels.

At what point is enough enough? And if all that increased funding over Obama’s profligate years is not enough to deal with infectious diseases without more emergency funding, then what exactly is the department doing with the base funding?

Aside from the over $700 billion in entitlement spending through the department, HHS gets $105 billion in discretionary funding. Is there really nothing from all their international health programs that could be cut as a way of paying for this?

Trump himself planned on cutting the HHS budget by roughly 10 percent this year. Obviously, there are a lot of places to cut. Why not demand dollar-for-dollar cuts from Democrats?

The problem is that Trump let the cat out of the bag when he said at his press conference that he’ll sign whatever they send him. “With respect to the money that’s being negotiated, they can do whatever they want,” said Trump during yesterday’s press briefing on the coronavirus task force. “We’re requesting $2.5 [billion]. Some Republicans would like us to get $4 [billion], and some Democrats would like us to get $8.5 [billion], and we’ll be satisfied whatever it is.”

This has been the problem from day one. On the one hand, Trump will propose spending cuts, but then he’ll sign spending bills that increase those very programs to record highs, plus sign endless supplemental bills, further increasing spending.

Trump needs to stop relying on congressional Republicans to negotiate for him, because both parties are on the same side when it comes to spending. As Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said, “It seems to me the administration’s request is lowballing it, possibly.” He’s never seen an agency whose budget he didn’t want to increase except for that of ICE.

The issue of public health concerns is not about throwing more money at the problem. Like everything else, it’s more of a policy problem. We need to be less politically correct in dealing with outbreaks by shutting off travel from day one. Also, as Senator Josh Hawley is advocating, we need to better retain our own supply chain for vaccinations and stop relying on China and India through outsourcing and foreign labor. China now produces most of the materials that go into vaccine production. So, what do we do when the supply is shut down because the actual virus stems from China? Those issues don’t seem to bother Chuck Schumer.

Throwing another few billion dollars at hundred-billion-dollar departments won’t make us safer. And Trump will never win a bidding war accepting the Democrat premise that the way to solve a public policy crisis is with more money while doubling down on failed policies. (For more from the author of “Bottomless Money Pit: Agencies Dealing With Coronavirus Already Have Record Funding” please click HERE)

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CDC Confirms Potential Case of Community Spread Coronavirus in U.S.; Flight Attendant Diagnosed With Coronavirus After Trip To LAX; Odd Coincidence – Rogue CDC Official Pushing Coronavirus Panic Button Is Rod Rosenstein’s Sister

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By Breitbart. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed Wednesday a potential case of infection with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in California in a person not associated with relevant travel history or exposure to another known infected patient.

According to a media statement, CDC said:

At this time, the patient’s exposure is unknown. It’s possible this could be an instance of community spread of COVID-19, which would be the first time this has happened in the United States. Community spread means spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown. It’s also possible, however, that the patient may have been exposed to a returned traveler who was infected.

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According to a report at the Washington Post, just moments after President Donald Trump’s announcement that Vice President Mike Pence would be heading a task force on the coronavirus, CDC confirmed the new case was a person in northern California who had neither traveled outside the United States nor come in contact with another infected individual.

Trump reassured Americans that the nation was prepared to deal with further spread of the coronavirus if that occurred. (Read more from “CDC Confirms Potential Case of Community Spread Coronavirus in U.S.” HERE)

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Korean Air Flight Attendant Working LAX Flights Diagnosed With Coronavirus

By CBS Los Angeles. A flight attendant for Korean Air who worked several flights out of Los Angeles International Airport has been diagnosed with coronavirus.

The 24-year-old was diagnosed Tuesday in southern Seoul, according to the Korea Joongang Daily newspaper.

The flight attendant had worked flights between LAX and Seoul–Incheon International Airport on Feb. 19 and 20, according to South Korean media outlets.

The woman also serviced a flight from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Seoul on Feb. 15, South Korea’s Center for Disease Control said. She may have contracted the virus from a South Korean church group who were on a pilgrimage to Israel, the Yonghap News Agency reports. (Read more from “Korean Air Flight Attendant Working LAX Flights Diagnosed With Coronavirus” HERE)

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Odd Coincidence – Rogue CDC Official Pushing Coronavirus Panic Button Is Rod Rosenstein’s Sister

By The Conservative Tree House. Earlier today Dr. Nancy Messonnier, an official in the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), held a conference call with media and pushed a panic narrative around the Coronvirus that ran counter to the Trump administration.

What makes the statements by Dr. Messonnier even more interesting is the fact she is the only sister of former DOJ Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Dr. Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (link) told reporters on the call:

“We are asking the American public to work with us to prepare for the expectation that this could be bad.” … “I understand this whole situation may seem overwhelming and that disruption to everyday life may be severe. But these are things that people need to start thinking about now.” (link)

(Read more from “Odd Coincidence – Rogue CDC Official Pushing Coronavirus Panic Button Is Rod Rosenstein’s Sister” HERE)

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President Trump Appoints Pence to Head Coronavirus Task Force

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By Daily Caller. President Donald Trump appointed Vice President Mike Pence to head the Coronavirus task force charged with preparing for and preventing outbreaks in the United States Wednesday night.

The White House press briefing came hours after Trump returned from a diplomatic trip to India, and he described the current threat level of the disease as “low” in the U.S. His statement echoed that of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar in a Tuesday press briefing, where he described the virus as “contained,” but warned that more cases are expected as borders can’t be closed off entirely. Pence will replace Azar as head of the task force and report directly to the president.

Trump went on to cite a study from Johns Hopkins University that found the U.S. was the most well-prepared nation in the world when it comes to a flu-like outbreak such as Coronavirus.

“It could be at a small level or a larger level,” Trump said of the potential U.S. outbreak. “Whatever happens we’re totally prepared. We have the best people in the world. You see that from the study. We have the best prepared people, the best people in the world. Congress is willing to give us much more than we’re even asking for. That’s nice for a change. But we are totally ready, willing and able. It’s a term we use. Ready, willing and able. It’s going to be very well-under control.” (Read more from “President Trump Appoints Pence to Head Coronavirus Task Force” HERE)

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Trump Says Coronavirus Vaccine Coming Along ‘Rapidly’

By Fox News. As fears spread of a possible coronavirus outbreak in the U.S, President Trump addressed the nation in a Wednesday evening news conference at the White House to discuss how his administration was handling the virus threat — saying that a vaccine is being developed “rapidly” and “coming along very well.”

However, Anthony Fauci, who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said later at the press conference that a vaccine would not be applicable to the epidemic for a “year to a year and a half,” due to delays from testing, development, production and distribution.

The freewheeling and sometimes confusing press conference marked a rare appearance by the president in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, as he usually takes questions from reporters outside the White House while his Marine One helicopter prepares for takeoff. . .

So far, there have been 60 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S. in total. That figure includes individuals who have been repatriated to the United States, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar later clarified at the podium. Fifteen people were in the initial set of cases, three more came from evacuation flights, and 42 were from the Diamond Princess ship that was quarantined by Japanese health authorities earlier this month. (Read more from “Trump Says Coronavirus Vaccine Coming Along ‘Rapidly'” HERE)

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