WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd June, 2020) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently discussed with his counterparts from Brazil, India, Israel, Australia, and South Korea the importance of cooperation in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke today with the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Brazil, India, Israel, and the Republic of Korea," Ortagus said in the statement. "Secretary Pompeo and his counterparts discussed the importance of continued close coordination in response to the COVID-19 pandemic."
Pompeo also highlighted to his counterparts the need for close coordination in reopening their economies and countering disinformation on the pandemic, Ortagus said.
In addition, Ortagus said Pompeo discussed the need for concerted efforts to prevent future pandemics.
The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. As of midday Wednesday, more than 6.4 million people have been infected with the virus worldwide and more than 382,000 have died, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.
The United States and Brazil are among the nations most severely impacted by the outbreak.
