On Wednesday, President Donald Trump tweeted that he will be holding a news conference at the White House with CDC officials after publicly attacking the media for causing the stock market to panic.
Trump wrote: "Low Ratings Fake News MSNBC (Comcast) & CNN are doing everything possible to make the Caronavirus look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible. Likewise their incompetent Do Nothing Democrat comrades are all talk, no action. USA in great shape!"
Current number of cases in more than 30 countries as of Feb. 26, 2020:
Total confirmed cases: More than 81,000
Total deaths: At least 2,764
For the first time since the outbreak, new COVID-19 cases outside China have exceeded those reported inside. More than half of cases are in South Korea, which has reported 284 current cases, totaling 1,261. New cases in South Korea have increased, as a U.S. soldier in the country tested positive on Wednesday.
France has reported the nation's second death and Italy reported its 12 death.
In Germany, the nation's Health Minister Jens Spahn stated that Germany's cases cannot be traced to China. The nation currently has 20 cases.
Austria, Croatia, Greece, Brazil, Norway, Spain, Georgia and Pakistan have announced having their first case of the virus, with those infected tied to travel in Italy or Iran.
Italy's number of cases have more than tripled to about 400 cases. Iran's government has confirmed 139 cases and 19 deaths, the highest number of fatalities outside of China. Those infected now include the nation's Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, who has downplayed the virus's spread.
The U.S. has confirmed a new case, bringing the nation's total to 60. Most U.S. cases are linked to the docked Princess Diamond cruise (NYSE: CCL) quarantine. Nassau County health officials have state that 83 New York City residents have been placed in self-quarantine after returning to the city from China.
U.S. biotech Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) has shipped an experimental coronavirus vaccine to government researchers just after six weeks of lab testing. Initial trails for a vaccine could begin as early as April, but testing and approvals could take over a year.
The New York Times reported that Chinese citizens have begun doing something unprecedented: openly criticize the government media online. Many citizens have felt that the state-run media has lost its creditability with its depiction of medical personal, many of whom are lacking basic virus protect like masks, with one citizen writing the blog post titled "News Coverage Should Stop Turning a Funeral Into a Wedding." Another user wrote on the popular Chinese social media site Weibo wrote that the sacrifices of medical workers "should be remembered" and "We should make sure that the tragedies won's happen again, not highlighting 'Sacrifice is glorious.'