WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The novel coronavirus clearly remains under control within the United States, President Donald Trump announced in a message.
The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2020
Trump praised the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for their massive and "smart" efforts in preventing the novel coronavirus outbreak, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, from becoming a global menace.
"CDC and World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!" Trump said.
However, US stocks fell sharply on Monday, tumbling more than 1,000 points as novel coronavirus cases were documented by health officials, which promptly stoked fears that the spreading virus would draw out a slowdown of the world economy.
Stocks closed with the Dow Jones Industrial Average index down by 1,031.61, the S&P 500 index down by 111.86 and the Nasdaq Composite index down by 355.31 points.
The White House is preparing an urgent budget request to address the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, with the Department of Health and Human Services seeking to transfer over $130 million from other HHS accounts to combat the virus.
The Politico reported on Tuesday that the Trump administration is sending a request to the US Congress for $2.5 billion to fight the Wuhan coronavirus, with over $1 billion targeting vaccine development and the rest intended for a range of needs, from stockpiling masks to paying for diagnostics.
The Wuhan coronavirus has so far spread across 29 countries and territories outside of China, with over 79,000 reportedly infected and more than 2,600 confirmed dead.
