Coronavirus: US toll reaches 6, Trump wants vaccine at ‘maximum speed’

New York: The coronavirus has killed four more Americans in suburban Seattle, taking the total death toll in the US to six, while New York reported its first case in Manhattan and US President Donald Trump cranked up the pressure on Americas leading pharmaceutical companies to “get it done” although his own health experts have cautioned that a vaccine was at least 12 months away.

Reacting to the rapid domestic outbreak with no known travel links, the Trump administration said nearly a million tests could be done in the US by the end of the current week itself. The US now has about 100 total cases across 14 states.

“It is remarkable to think that there may well be a vaccine going to clinical trials within the next six weeks,” US Vice President Mike Pence said at a White House briefing on Monday evening.

Last week, soon after his return from India, Trump made Pence his point person to lead the US coronavirus response.

“We’re working very hard to expedite the long process of developing the vaccine and we’re also moving at maximum speed to develop therapeutics so we can help people recover as quickly as possible,” Trump said at his meeting with pharma majors.

All of the US deaths have been in Washington State, which has declared an emergency. Researchers are saying that the virus may have been incubating for weeks in Washington State. (IANS)

Also Read: Beware! Facemasks if worn improperly can increase the risk of coronavirus, warns US Surgeon

Also Watch: Watch | Cattle smuggler brutally beaten in Nagaon