INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
On the first day as the new leader of the United States government efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Vice President Mike
Pence announced a number of new appointments to the government Coronavirus Task Force.
The point person for the government (who will be
reporting to Vice President Pence) is Deborah Birx, a longtime leader in the United States government efforts to contain the HIV/AIDS
pandemic.
From her position within the State Department as the United States Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global
Health Policy, Birx coordinated the Army, Navy and Air Force in their HIV/AIDS efforts and led the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention Division of Global HIV/AIDS program.
In addition to Birx, the vice president also appointed to the task force Treasury Secretary
Steven Mnuchin, Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow and Surgeon General Dr
Jerome Adams.
The appointments emphasize the importance the White House is placing on controlling the economic impact of the crisis.
Stock
markets have declined significantly over the past week as economists and investors weigh the prospects of much slower growth in 2020 as a
result of the global spread of coronavirus.
Tech companies like Microsoft have already issued warnings over the effect coronavirus will have
on earnings, and large technology events, including (most recently) Facebook developer conference and the Mobile World Congress (which was
slated to begin this week) have been cancelled.
Facebook cancels F8 conference, citing coronavirus concerns
