Trump urges calm even as US reports worrisome new virus case

WASHINGTON (AP):

President Donald Trump declared that a widespread US outbreak of the new respiratory virus sweeping the globe isn’t inevitable even as top health authorities at his side warned Americans that more infections are coming.

Shortly after Trump spoke Wednesday, the government announced a worrisome development: Another person in the US is infected – someone in California who doesn’t appear to have the usual risk factors of having travelled abroad or being exposed to another patient.

At a White House news conference, Trump sought to minimise fears as he insisted the US is “very, very ready” for whatever the COVID-19 outbreak brings. Under fire about the government’s response, he put Vice-President Mike Pence to lead the administration’s response. Pence on Thursday named the State Department’s global health doctor to coordinate the coronavirus response.

“This will end,” Trump said of the outbreak. “You don’t want to see panic, because there’s no reason to be panicked.”

But standing next to him, the very health officials Trump praised for fighting the new coronavirus stressed that schools, businesses and individuals need to get ready.

Trump spent close to an hour discussing the virus threat, after a week of sharp stock market losses over the health crisis and concern within the administration that a growing outbreak could affect his re-election. He blamed the Democrats for the stock market slide, saying, “I think the financial markets are very upset when they look at the Democrat candidates standing on that stage making fools out of themselves.” And he shifted to defend his overall record and predict a win in November.