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Pelosi says she has no confidence in coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx

Birx says the virus is in both cities and rural areas.

Published: August 2, 2020 11:07am

Updated: August 3, 2020 11:26am

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during an interview on ABC's "This Week" confirmed that she is not confident in White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx.

ABC's Martha Raddatz asked the California Democrat about her confidence in Birx, noting recent Politico reporting that the Speaker said Birx was spreading disinformation. "Deborah Birx is the worst. Wow, what horrible hands you’re in," Pelosi said to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, according to Politico.

"I think the president is spreading disinformation about the virus, and she is his appointee so I don't have confidence there, no," Pelosi told Raddatz.

"I have tremendous respect for the Speaker," Birx said during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" when asked about Pelosi's publicly expressed lack of confidence. Birx then referenced a New York Times article, describing it as "unfortunate that New York Times wrote this article without speaking to me. I could've brought forth the data," she said.

During the CNN interview, Birx said that the virus is present both in cities and in rural regions. "And to everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus," she said.

She suggested that people living in areas with coronavirus outbreaks wear masks at home if they live with people who are vulnerable to the virus.

"I can tell you across America right now people are on the move," Birx said. "And I think it's our job as public health officials to be able to get a message to each American that says if you've chosen to go on a vacation into a hotspot you really need to come back and protect those with comorbidities and assume you're infected."

According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been more than 4.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and more than 154,000 deaths.

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