Sanders Says Trump 'Misleading' Public On Coronavirus, Pence Unqualified To Head Response

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2020) US Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders accused the Trump administration of releasing misleading and unscientific information about controlling the coronavirus and slammed the decision to appoint Vice President Mike Pence to lead the response effort.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump, after announcing that Pence would head the coronavirus response, rejected the assessment by US health officials who said it was inevitable that the virus would spread more broadly in the United States.

"The Trump administration must stop releasing misleading, unscientific, and false information about whether the coronavirus is controlled or when it will be controlled," Sanders said in a statement on Thursday.

Sanders said Trump put politics above public safety by appointing someone "completely unqualified" to lead the administration's response to the pandemic. The senator urged the administration to replace Pence at once with an expert on pandemics and disaster response.

He also called on Trump to sign the full $8.5 billion in coronavirus response funding proposed by Congress.

According to Johns Hopkins University's online coronavirus tracker, as of Thursday 60 cases have been confirmed in the United States which includes six people who have recovered. The tool maps coronavirus cases across the globe pulling data from CDC, WHO, and European and Chinese health agencies.