President Donald Trump assured the nation Monday that a solution to the widening coronavirus epidemic is on the way, saying he would be meeting with pharmaceutical company executives later in the day.
Trump tweeted thew news early in the morning:
"I am meeting with the major pharmaceutical companies today at the White House about progress on a vaccine and cure. Progress being made!"
The global death toll from the coronavirus outbreak has surged past 3,000, and new cases were reported across the U.S., including the first infection in New York. In Asia, hard-hit South Korea saw its total climb past 4,200 and Indonesia reported its first cases.
Cases were also still rising at the virus’s epicenter, with China reporting that its total number of infections had passed 80,000. The deadly illness first emerged in Hubei province in December and is increasingly disrupting global travel and events.