Trump taps Pence to lead coronavirus response, urges calm

President Trump on Wednesday named Vice President Mike Pence to lead America's efforts to fight the coronavirus, declaring the U.S. is well-prepared to confront the situation.

“Now, it may get bigger. It may get a little bigger, it may not get bigger at all. We’ll see what happens. But regardless of what happens, we’re totally prepared,” the president said at an evening press conference.

Pence lauded the administration's current efforts to contain the disease through travel restrictions, quarantine measures and a daily task force meeting, harkening back to his days as Indiana governor and the fight against an earlier virus known as Middle East respiratory syndrome,

"As a former governor of the state with the first MERS case, I know full well the importance of presidential leadership and administration leadership," the vice president said.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar remains chairman of the federal task force and welcomed Pence's leadership.

“Having the vice president gives me the biggest stick one could have in the government on this whole-of-government approach,” Azar said.

Pence's new role was announced hours after the CDC disclosed a new coronavirus case in California that could represent the first in the U.S. to spread through the general population.