President Trump put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the coronavirus epidemic during a press briefing Feb. 26, but HHS Secretary Alex Azar said he is still chairman of the press conference.
The administration recently asked for $2.5 billion in additional funding to mitigate the coronavirus, which has been called COVID-19 and has sickened thousands worldwide. The vast majority of the cases are confined to China, where the novel coronavirus originated, but cases have also spread to the U.S. Officials also believe a wider spread in the U.S. is “inevitable,” former director of the CDC Tom Friedman wrote in an editorial for CNN.
Trump noted that Pence would lead the response from the U.S. government to fight the coronavirus.
“I'm going to be putting our Vice President Mike Pence in charge, and Mike will be working with the professionals, doctors and everybody else that's working,” he said during the televised briefing.
Azar noted he did not feel replaced by Pence when asked by reporters.
The impact on financial markets due to fears and risks of the virus have been severe, with stocks plunging worldwide. Healthcare stocks in particular have been hard hit.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."