US coronavirus task force meeting due at 1930 GMT Thursday

Reuters reports that the US task force meeting on the coronavirus outbreak, to be chaired by Vice President (VP) Pence is scheduled later on Thursday at 1930 GMT.

At his press conference on the virus spread, US President Trump announced that VP Pence will be in charge of virus response.

According to the Wall Street Journal, “Trump said that the risk to Americans from coronavirus remains very low, and he put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of federal response efforts as concern about the outbreak grew among lawmakers and as cities nationwide made fresh preparations.”

Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first US coronavirus case of unknown origin. Note that San Francisco declared on Tuesday a state of emergency even though there were no confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the area.