With diagnoses of the coronavirus increasing worldwide, concerns are growing in the United States that President Donald Trump's administration is unprepared for a domestic outbreak that experts have deemed inevitable.
In a press conference on Wednesday evening, the President announced that Vice President Mike Pence would be spearheading the administration's efforts to contain outbreaks within the United States.
The appointment wasn't that assuring, especially to Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT).
The frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for President tweeted in opposition of Pence's appointment:
Sanders reminded his followers that during a 2015 outbreak of HIV in Indiana, then-Governor Mike Pence's solution was to pray it away.
Pence cut funding for HIV research in Indiana and delayed needle exchange programs, which are known to curb the spread of the disease. He instead advocated for organizations that promoted abstinence.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) issued a similar rebuke of Pence's appointment.
They were far from the only ones concerned.
Some began drawing parallels.
In addition to Pence's appointment, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar wouldn't promise that a vaccine for the virus, when found, would be affordable.
This does not look good.
